Exactly. I’m from a pretty small-town area, at least back then it was. We hardly had any diversity in school, and how are you supposed to really understand different things with no exposure?

As I started working different jobs, I’ve met people of numerous cultures and races, those who have been homeless, people who have been subject to different kinds of abuses, rich people who are nice, rich people who are jerks, and people that have all sorts of beliefs and justifications for them. I don’t think most of us are born into that type of situation, and it’s possibly not in a young child’s interest to have that kind of understanding thrust on them too early, so we need to have realistic expectations for people to figure things our.

There also shouldn’t be a deadline for it. I was always happy to hear one of my grandparents form a progressive opinions, even after 60-80 years. It’s never too late to make the world better or to be kinder to your fellow people. Some people never get there, so we should always be proud when they do. At some point, they’re more on our side than not, and gatekeeping isn’t going to speed it up.