by bassaiguy » Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:00 pm
A while ago I was in USVI with my wife. We were walking off the beaten path a bit when we were accosted by the inevitable time-share hustler. This guy was shilling for a noted gay resort - obviously we weren't his demographic. However, his pinpoint pupils, sweating, fast speech and inability to take no for an answer clued me in that not all was right with Mr. Real Estate. I actually had to dump him on the ground before he'd leave us alone.
Anyway, I mention it because it was a lesson in my (lack of) awareness. It was a confrontation in mid-afternoon, in an American territory, in a commercial area, with a white guy. If I'd been approached in different circumstances I wouldn't have let the situation go so far and would have kept myself and my wife out of the incident. Strange how my self-possession was disarmed by the setting and circumstances.
"Honour, not honours." ~ Sir Richard Francis Burton