throwing rocks

The other day my son went out to play with the boys from the shack across from our shophouse. They seemed to be having fun together, then he came in, upset. "They threw rocks at me." Why? I think it is because he looks different than they do, he talks differently, although he was trying to speak Thai, they speak another dialect. They acted from powerful inner impulses, perhaps they felt upset and threatened by this person who was so unlike themselves. Adults can also feel strong emotions when confronted by people of another language and culture. I think it is a strength of America that society has done so much to try to cultivate an attitude of appreciation towards other cultures, some regions more sucessfully than others, of course. There is always more to do, of course, and always more room to grow, and there are always groups of people that cannot see the value of anyone but themselves, but I feel there are also vast numbers of peoples that are kind-hearted, generous, and full of empathy.