Thanks, Quirky3. That's good information. But I'm kind of surprised that no one had any comments. It seems everyone knows all about it and no one disputes it. Maybe this post wil break the ice; someone has to break the ice so it might as well be me.
Fear of strangers and/or foreigners often serves a function of self preservation. With the latest terorist threat abroad, the president stated that people can still vacation but that they should be careful. In other words, a little fear may be useful.
Also, many years ago, Oprah Winfrey had a security expert on her show who instructed people to trust their gut. If they encountered someone who made them fearful, they should avoid that person. An example was given of a woman waiting for an elevator. The door of the elevator opens and she sees someone who, for whatever reason, makes her feel fearful. Then the advice was to not get on the elevator. Another example was: You see someone walking towards your car and your gut tells you it could be trouble. The advice was: Lock your door!
Now here's a true story: My brother-in-law went to New York on a business trip. He was walking down the street with a business associate and his associate saw a man walking toward them. He said to my brother-in-law, "maybe we should cross the street." To that my brother-in-law said, "no, just keep walking, we'll be okay." As this stranger passed them, he gave my brother-in-law a very hard punch in the stomach. It was so bad, he fell to the ground and couldn't breathe for a while. So the lesson is: when in doubt, trust your gut. He should have listened to his business associate.
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