I was talking to someone the other day and they said something anti-Semitic. Well basically, they generalized about Jewish entrepreneurs in a way that was unflattering (and untrue).

I laughed at them and said that they must not know many Jews, because that hasn't my experience at all. And that I would introduce them to my friends so that they could have some positive experiences. I was surprised, because the person readily agreed.

It got me thinking though: should I have gone off on the person about how ignorant their comment was, and chastised them more thoroughly? Part of me wanted to, but if I had then I think the person would not have agreed to open their mind to the possibility of change.

I think if I had thought the person wasn't open to change, I would have yelled at them. But because I felt that they were, I took another path. It definitely made me think a lot though, and I'm still not totally comfortable with the path I chose.

What do you do when someone says something racist or sexist?