Or better yet: I’ve been stereotyped, again! I was born in the East, grew up in the West, lived a better part of my life outside the US, lived three years in Florida and, now living outside the US because of work, I return to the South about twice a year for meetings in Atlanta. I’m a strong believer in civil rights and polite consideration for gender [and gender orientation], race/ethnic background, religious orientation [altho fanatistism drives me up the wall] and … now age.
I experienced some weird encounters of the fifth kind in NE Florida with white racists who believed that I agree with their twisted minds because I am white, female and over fifty [gulp].
This morning I had another, but reverse experience while in a hotel elevator in Atlanta. This encounter left me flabbergasted and wordless with mouth agap and hands fluttering. I had just finished breakfast and standing in front of the elevators to go back to my room and work. I was fairly well dressed in comfortable slacks and pullover sweater, no makeup and had only run the brush thru my hair to get rid of bedhead.
As I was about to enter the elevator, two ladies with luggage trolley came around the corner so I let them go first - primarily because they weren’t slowing down and I didn’t want to be run over. Doors close and I find myself on the other side of the floor buttons with trolley in between and these ladies deep in conversation. Normally, it’s been my Southern experience, that everyone says good morning and asked what’s your floor. This didn’t happen. Lady One pushes 8 which is one floor above mine all the while talking to her friend. I seem to be elevator wallpaper, so I said excuse me, reached through the luggage trolley and hit 7. Cold blast of “what are you doing?” Evil looks while their conversation stopped dead in its tracks. Lady Two steps up to me and stares. “Sorry, I want to get out at my floor,” says I. Elevator stops and I get out, but I hear behind my back “They still think that they own the world”. 
I felt like I was sandbagged. This happened in Atlanta - a city considered more urbane and sophisticated than other Southern cities. They = white, old folks. Me … stereotyped like those Southern men who stood in front of schools to prevent integration, those Southern service folks behind the counters in stores, those Southern whites who refused folks the right to vote or, more recently, hassled when trying to vote. Me? Me with them? :eek:
So here I am in my room trying to think of what I could have said in response or my own defense. 
Mr kiffa, with many years of experience, always says forget about coming up with witty remarks since it only makes the situation worse. It has taken me twenty minutes to remember that. It would have been his first reaction and he would have continued to do what he was doing and not thinking about the smallness of petty minds. I wish I had that resiliency. His came by life long training. :smack:
One more life experience that reminds me 1] forget stereotypes and treat people as individuals, 2] pick your battles appropriately, 3] remember that life experiences tend to define your approach to life, and 4] I need to get back to preparing my presentation for tomorrow.
