Word: alien
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PETYA and I were walking near St. Isaac's Cathedral, through the dark, the drizzle and the streaked neon glare of Leningrad, discussing my girlfriend. We were interrupted by a policeman. My down jacket had betrayed me--I was a foreigner, an alien. Petya was implicated for associating with me, and all three of us knew it. Petya, a Russian, had left his papers at home. The policeman's eyes narrowed when he heard it. He searched Petya's pockets and found a Finnish coin about the size of a dime, but not quite as valuable. It surprised me that...
...answered the policeman's questions as incorrectly as possible; only spies speak Russian well. I was careful, however, to hide any trace of an English accent so as not to be classed as an American and, hence, dangerous alien. I showed him my expired Nebraska driver's license, Omaha Public Library card, Harvard I.D., and my Cool Cash 24-hour teller card to prove my identity. He grunted knowingly upon receiving each one, convinced by the power of the color pictures and strange language that I was a Finn and in Leningrad only to drink. ("Drunk Finns" make the pilgrimage...
...with derision or hostility to gays, hoping this will reaffirm their heterosexuality. But most simply try to crowd any thought of homosexuality out of their heads. That creates another source of hostility to gays: ignorance. Shutting homosexuality out of our world fosters the same fear and mistrust of the alien that has always led people to hate each other. Our prejudice against gay people will linger as long as they are unfamiliar. Only free interaction with them will show us that they are people just like ourselves...
...current status of minorities at Harvard: "For the moment, we must acknowledge that many of our Blacks and Hispanics feel much like alien guests in a strange house...
...have the tough job of going down there and taking from them on their courts, in front of their crowd," said coach Dave Fish. But he added that the team, despite having to play on alien ground, is thoroughly prepared...