John -

Your reaction was normal and to be expected. It's part of the in-built survival mechanism nature has given us.

Touch a glowing hotplate once and you never touch a glowing hotplate again, even if it's a different hotplate. We apply the attributes of one thing to all other similar things. (after touching one glowing hotplate we assume all glowing hotplates will burn)

After one group of Middle Eastern men hurt you, you automatically become cautious to all men who look like they are from the Middle East.

Now think of these men who approached you...

They may have migrated to the country 20 years ago. They may love America more than someone born there because they had to work their butt off to earn the priviledge of coming to the US.

Now, because some idiots of the same ethnic "look" did something bad, they are viewed as bad. Now they fear for their own safety because of our natural instinct to lump like together. They now live in fear because others are fearful of them.

They know if they obtain a weapon for self-defense in the normal way they may encounter a store owner who lumps them together with terrorits. They may recall what happened to the American-Japanese during WWII and fear the same kind of thing. And paper work showing they had bought weapons would make them even more suspect to fearing officials.

You could have doubts and wonder whether you'd be party responsible IF these men did something with the guns they buy. BUT, what if you gave them bad directions, they were unable to buy guns and were later found dead because they couldn't defend themselves from fearful people? Wouldn't you then feel responsible for depriving them of their means of protection?

This kind of thinking has no end. WHAT IF the person who you help change a flat, goes on to run someone over, accidentally? WHAT IF the person who you direct to a Servicemen's Club gets drunk and drives and then kills someone in a crash? WHAT IF you owned a pool supply business and sold chlorine only to discover one customer mixed it with certain chemicals to form a chlorine bomb? WHAT IF this and WHAT IF that?

A recent movie which deals in illogical, but natural, prejudices is X-Men. Get it out on tape and watch it.

Michael Ross.