Maybe I'm the Racist

It came to my attention this morning that it's gay pride month. I overheard a few weeks ago that there is actually a gay couple living in Baker. The comment was, "They keep really low profile, which is good. Remember a few years ago when [that person] was really gay?" Whatever you feel about gay people, imagine what it must be like to be that person that everyone in the town knows.

Then I thought about the lack of diversity in general here. There is one african-american family, one mexican family, and one asian family, who owns the Chinese restaurant. And, I have to admit, the first few weeks here I thought things were really weird. It was weird that the baggers at the grocery store were regular kids, not people involved in a work program. People cooking in restaurants are all caucasion. I miss the weekends when people are working on their cars in their driveways, blasting music "hecho en Mexico" while cooking food on their little BBQ's.

It's a fact that I expect certain people to be in certain places- it bothers me that our gas station doesn't smell like Nag Champa. I like to think of myself as more worldly because I'm used to hanging out with people from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds. But, if I expect to see them only in specific situations, does that make me a racist?

Comments?