The other day, one of the days that I didn’t have work (I’m a University student so I only work part time) I was waiting at the bus station in a medium sized crowd. The guy behind me started talking loudly to the guy next to him about the middle east. Nothing in particular, just comments about how it always seemed to be at war and criticizing it’s inhabitants for the state of constant conflict. His ignorance got on my nerves a bit, but I held my tongue because he had a right to his own opinion. But what he said next really set me off. He disdainfully sniffed that the conflict between Israeli and Palestine was just a process of “natural selection” in which “kikes” and “sand n******” would kill each other off. Though I do not belong to most groups discriminated against, I have a high sensitivity to discrimination and derogatory remarks (I had enough of a problem just transcribing them here). I whipped around and tried to stay calm, but ended up basically screeching “EXCUSE ME?!?!”
He then reasserted his racist comments and elaborated, and I more or less berated him for his narrow minded, ignorant, xenophobic ethnocentricity, and similar traits. It did not come to blows, I almost wish it did, I’m still riled even just by thinking about it. I doubt that I did anything to alter his view on it, and know that his ignorance was his own problem to cure, but I couldn’t help but say something.
Turns out, he was my boss’s boss. Guess who needs a new job, now?