Comment by Mabel on August 5, 2012 at 2:08pm

I've been in a situation where I felt like me dropping the E-word caused the tension to increase exponentially to the point where one could lacerate it with a sharp object.

@ Ana - That's very sad. Things shouldn't be this way.

Comment by KentK on August 5, 2012 at 3:20pm

Most definitely minorities feel uncomfortable where there are none who are like them. Let alone others, as a South Asian I feel uncomfortable going to all white Atheist and/or secular humanist meetings. 

Comment by Doug Reardon on August 5, 2012 at 6:47pm

I'm a minority, no matter what group I'm in.

Comment by Unseen on August 6, 2012 at 8:39am

Where I live in Euclid, Ohio (and notice the absence of the comma after "Where I live") whites are only about 10-15% of the population. I'm always in the racial minority in the local supermarkets or convenience stores. Black people open the apartment building door for me and say "Good morning" or "Hello," and I reciprocate. I could also say that almost wherever I go in the Greater Cleveland area, blacks are present and that people get along without race-based strife.

I'm glad to report that there are places in the U.S. where the races "mix" without any day-to-day issues.

Comment by Joe Morgan on August 8, 2012 at 3:47am

Personally i live near a very ghetto neighbor hood that is predominatly black, and when walking on the street i often get the death stare, very uncomforting.

Comment by John Siqueiros on August 8, 2012 at 11:19pm

I'm a "racial" minority of sorts - Mexican-American, although my "race" is more Caucasian than anything else, and I often confuse people about what my ethnicity might be based on pure looks. It's especially entertaining at the airport because I can be confused with being Arab Muslim.

Ana, I think part of your issue also is your specialized knowledge about biology and related topics. As a lawyer/judge by trade, I try to be as sensitive as possible to non-lawyers when I start talking about what I do professionally, since I'd rather being informative to people than just go over their heads or come across as a pompous [blank]. But it's not easy. Then again, unlike your situation, religions tend not to treat my chosen profession as a challenge to theism.

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