A Taste of What is to Come?

You know you are going to hear something bad when it is preceded by "I'm not a racist". Really? If you have to say that then you probably are.

In the last 2 weeks, on 3 different occasions, by 3 different people, about 3 different groups of people, I have heard "You can't trust "them".

What can I say? What should I say? Especially if they are said by people who are related to you? I don't want to cut them out of our life, not yet. I want to try to educate them. I believe that these statements are made out of fear and ignorance. All I know to do is question the person who says it, asking them if they know every single person of that ethnicity. Asking how they can paint a whole nation or people with that broad brushstroke?

You know what I get back? My head is in the sand, not wanting to see how people and/or the world really is. They tell me it is naive to think we can all just get along.

I want to respond intelligently to these comments when my kid(s) (hopefully plural) are old enough to understand. I want to be prepared and armed with "something" to act as a rebuttal when these comments are said around my family.

I know I am not alone in dealing with such comments. Any advice would be appreciated.