I visited St Louis to attend a conference some years ago. I had a free morning so I decided to visit the botanic garden (don’t miss it if you go there!). So my European mind made me look at public transportation: underground to bus station, bus station to destination.

I have to say it was completely safe and I didn’t feel threatened at any time. But I noticed something:

I was the only white guy in the bus. In both trips.

I insist, there was no danger. The rest of people were minding their own business and were mostly people going to work or going home. Some of them gave me weird looks, not menacing, more like ‘who is doing this guy here?’.

So maybe the problem is something that ends in -cism.