I think it really scared my dad. He's a total redneck and loved, in the past, to tell racist jokes. A combination of that experience and consistent chastising from my mother and I has cured him of that.
If you've never been a visible minority, there's no way you can relate.
I was once the only white chick at a Pow Wow of 3000 natives near my hometown. The stares, the judgments. Some went out of their way to include me, others sneered...
It is the most unreal thing you ever go through. I was talking to one old woman about the fact that my daughter is part native — she grabbed hold of my arm, lifted my sleeve, licked her finger and rubbed it on my arm. With a look of disgust, she then let go saying "See, it doesn't wipe off."
Talking about the coloour of my skin.
I'm very sensitive to what people have to deal with, and I pity those among us that lack the experience or compassion to know what hurt they're dealing out by kneejerk actions.