In my experience, people are just people.
If we divide people into ‘groups’ whom we suspect have certain uniform characteristics, we are missing their humanity.
I am interested in *Individuals*. Individuality is the only thing that is truly ‘diverse’ among humanity.
Exactly.
I have thought long and hard about this, and have developed (as I said) a personal philosophy of “Default Respect”.
I am subject to all the flaws and prejudices anyone is subject to.
But when I meet someone, I square up to them, look them in the eye, talk to them as an equal, and get the measure of them regardless of whether they are male or female, black or white or any color, tattooed up and down or blank like me, homosexual or straight, and try to deal with them straight up.
If they deal with me straight up, I reciprocate, and we go from there. If not, well, I do what I must to keep on an even keel in all respects.
I have paid the price for this approach on occasion, and been accused in retrospect of being naive. But more often than not, it has worked for me, and I can live with myself and the outcome.