Jeez.

My latest project is this: I am working on a new facial expression. I've found myself, more than once recently, in need of an expression that conveys, at once, horror and fundamental disagreement along with "I don't really want to get involved in a conversation about this with you in the back of an airplane because I have no illusions about the likelihood of my changing your long held beliefs that are probably coded into your red neck DNA" along with "you're totally bat shit crazy" and "I'm a better person than you are because I am more progressive, liberal, and I read more." This expression will be used whenever a flight attendant mentions "the end of days" or refers to Jewish people as "Streisands" or "Tea Drinkers" or casually mention that they had to find a new crash pad because the old one had too many black girls living in it. Right now the expression lies somewhere between an uncomfortable smug smile and a sneer. But it really needs a lot of work. It isn't that I am afraid of confronting bigots or of fighting injustice. But I've found it simply isn't practical to enter into these kinds of discussions under these circumstances. Also, I am usually taken by suprise. I say "what?" because I didn't understand something and out of nowhere comes a racial slur. I'm not used to this. I don't know. I need to think about it and come up with a plan. And practice in front of a mirror.