Hey Smash

I am in the picture and I didn't think twice about your post. I am a recovering Xenophobe so I see both sides of the story.

And besides... as Voltaire evidently did not say "I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." We should all remember that maxim when we're perusing the forum.

I think Martin's response was nice for healthy debate. If you look at his history he has a way of extrapolating from what people say and commenting on it. (like he did in response to wildman800). The subsequent information is generally useful, if not entertaining. He's a good resource, and don't take it personally if he sees fit to educate you on the details.

Personally, I am a recovering Xenophobe. Partly due to the fact that I have worked from home for 6 years and I don't have any co-workers on this continent. I have, in the past, even asked for people to blur out details in photos that they posted online of me.

However, I have come to accept the same conclusions that others have posted and am trying to adopt a healthier perspective on humanity.

And in a breakaway behavior when I was in California this week, I made friends with my Sikh cab driver, visited his temple, and went to his house where his wife made some awesome Indian food for us. So I won't be attending my Xenophobes Anonymous meeting this week.

Interestingly, in the 5 months I've been hanging out here I have noticed that I find the posts of people who use their own picture as their avatar to be more "on target" for me than those of people who use other graphics (~kaoticklown is the poster child here). This is not an absolute thing of course, just noticing a trend. Please don't be personally offended by my point of view. There are many exceptions to this (I've already mentioned Martin) and its only a trend for me personally. (insert long dull flame reduction disclaimer here)