[fintstone]

I have been kicked out of places, required to buy something to utilize facilities, etc.. It never occurred to me that it was because I am part Native American. I do look a lot like Elizabeth Warren (Pocahantas). High cheekbones...doncha know? These days, I am not kicked out of places like I once was...because i generally follow the rules. Although I was from the sticks, and did not have much experience with stores and city folks, I quickly realized that folks who invest in businesses generally set rules to preserve their investment and i could either take them my business on their terms or go elsewhere. Incentive to learn was that it was embarrassing to be treated like crap...and, of course, no one was going to pay me big bucks to "compensate" me for being treated poorly (even though I am a minority). Of course, Native Americans are not "protected" from the world once they/their relatives leave the reservation. They are more like Asians...who have to pull their own weight and follow the rules.

Where/when I grew up, it had nothing to do with race. It was all about your place in society. Poor people like me were trailer trash. The more money or where you lived determined your social class. Education and hard work changed your position. I have a vacation home in the subdivision where to rich snobs lived when I was in high school. Just because.

Of course, "rich" to me was probably middle class to most.