Duty
I went to my mothers on monday. I had been invited to have a meal with my brothers parents in law who are visiting the country from South Africa. He has a reputation as an un-apologetic racist so I partly feared and partly relished the though of a confrontation.

I found him a small, bald rather anxious man who talked a lot and laughed at his own, very bad jokes. He had ben trying to deposit some money in this country "In case it all blows up over there" and was having trouble opening a bank account because of the news laws designed to protect against money laundering.

He told me it was all because of that 9/11 thing "You know - that bit of trouble in america with the Paki's.."

I was dumbstruck at the ignorance and innacuracy of the comment and felt that this was the moment to say something. I smiled as I asked him politely if he could keep his language a bit more neutral.

I don't know what they thought I meant but both he and his wife smiled back at my an with an assuring tone they said "No".