Hester, you live in Toronto, right? Great. See if you can make friends with the columnist Michelle Landsberg. She has an uncanny ability for discovering not only racism but also sexism rearing their ugly heads in the most unlikely of places...places where no one else would think of looking for them. Even in folk music! I think that you could gain a great deal of comfort from getting together with Ms Landsberg once or twice a week and sharing just how upsetting it all is...the way we're surrounded by racists and sexists.

I know it upsets me. I can hardly stand going out anymore because of it, and I worry every time I let the dog out to relieve himself that he may be accosted by either a racist, a sexist, or an animal-abuser.

Something should definitely be done to wipe out these threats to society, and it should be done without delay.

Until it is, I'm staying in where it's relatively safe.

- LH