During my department's session, the woman teaching the session from time to time would use a phony southern accent when portraying something a person who doesn't value diversity might say. I grew up in the south, so this did not go unnoticed by me.
Later in the meeting, we went around the room with everyone relating the first time in their own life they were made to feel different. When my turn came I asked if it would be OK to recount the most recent time I had been made to feel bad for being different. (I know you see it coming.)
When I told her it had been in this very meeting every time she mocked the southern accent, her eyes got real big and both her hands went up to cover her mouth. I then said it seemed that diversity was only for some, but not for all.
She was mortified and room was deathly silent. She then tried to apologize but somehow it just didn't ring true.
I've always regretted not putting the icing on the cake by walking out at that point, but the session was required and I didn't want to do it again.
I’m sure before the day was out, she had found a way to rationalise her bigotry towards Southerners. One thing that really chaps my behind, is the way leftists or even not-so-leftist people from other regions (after telling us Southerners all about ourselves) will gloat over some media factoid, ie, the South having the most obese people. You can hardly explain that when the population of MS is almost half black, and blacks have the highest rates of obesity, that will most likely make a difference in the statewide total. Same with literacy rates, bastardy rates, etc. Not to say that enough poor whites don’t figure in there, but I’d like to see our comparative rates adjusted for race with some New England state.