Let me tell you how clueless I was. I mentioned before that I am a white male, and although I have a black wife with three mixed children, I have mostly white professional, social, and familial circles. If we were ever to feel comfortable enough to let our PC guards down and express any racist feelings, it would have been within these circles. However, I never hear or see racist sentiments within my circles. So when I hear stories of racist actions, I just assumed it was from a lower class (as in character) that had no influence in today's society. Sadly, I honestly didn't think there were any racist acts towards Asians (aside from WWII camps) and Hispanics (aside from immigration issues), let alone American Indians (aside from a horrific history). I truly thought relations were so much greater since the Civil Rights movements and that anything else we heard about were isolated events. Stories like these have been a real eye opener. Never in a million years would I ever make some of those assumptions, but there are obviously enough people out there that are and I hope they receive the same training. Of course, there's probably always somthing that I can work on.
I am a white woman of Middle Eastern and western European descent. When I was growing up, we were taught not to see color as a means fo treating everyone equally. Now, we are taught to see color and to appreciate diversity as a means of showing respect. Either way, the idea is to treat all people with respect. The information abuot microaggression helped me to realize that I had fallen into this trap, at times, in an attempt to show interest or connection. My heart was in the right place, but the delivery was counterproductive. As you say, Scott, there is always more that one can learn. We need more than good intentions; we need effective action.