You touch on some important points - part of the reason some of us stick to our groups is because we learned it the hard way - not everyone has an open mind and are quick to judge based on preconceived notions - but it is a beautiful thing when we trust enough to step out of our comfort zones

I too believe that it is all about an individual and not their race, religion or whatever - try telling that to ppl from my culture - sigh

But the good thing is the new gens have a much more open mindset than the previous ones which I think is a great thing