Hello CedarTree --

I have encountered this, too. It is hard not to be defensive when the charge is aimed at me, and I know it is not true.

On the other hand, I teach many young people from other countries, especially the Caribbean and South American. When we discuss intercultural communication issues, there is a lot of truth-telling about the indignities and offenses that they encounter on a nearly daily basis. I am not defending what happened to you.

If I encountered insults all the time, I might be challenged to distinguish those that were real from those I imagined. Or I might be having a real bad day when I made that mistake.

I am very sorry that happened to you.