- People do tend to assume that I'd look at things a certain way, based on my appearance or how I carry myself. This happens to everyone. The problem is that even when they listen to you, most often than not they try to validate whatever presupposition they might have had. Maybe when you come in and say something that might sound as a very standard view for whatever demographic you belong to, it might actually have a lot of thought into it, phrased with a lot more nuance than you get credit for, you know...

- What would you like those people to do instead then?

- I mean, the whole point of this project for you is to put yourself in the shoes of others, right? The practice of empathy, REAL empath you know... not just « Oh I empathize with you, I'm listening to you »... No no no, don't just listen, put yourself in my perspective, try and conceive what the world looks like for me.

- So those people could check and ask you directly like « Do I understand you right? »

- Yeah, I feel like that's a very sensible thing. But even after asking, say not just listening to the position but trying to understand what led them to take on these beliefs, maybe even asking about that. After all, how can you practice empathy if you cannot even see others as the product of their experience, experiences that we all largely share. It all comes down to mutual recognition.