that even though I may be aware and sensitive to a groups' issues, it doesn't always matter. I don't let myself get offended either. I try to chalk it up to experiences that some people have that presently doesn't leave them open to me as someone who could not have the same experiences. They may be in kind of "circle the wagons" mode and I make my interactions, when I sense an encounter of that caliber, as light as possible. I find introducing some self-deprecating humor right off the bat takes the edge off people and warms them to you. As if you've shattered some kind of prejudgement they have of all people in general. We are in a dysfunctional culture where everyone is in competition with each other and the quicker we dispel people of the illusion that we think we are better than them, the quicker the walls come down.
Unfortunately, sometimes any interaction is misinterpreted as "too much" or as a precursor to more when that may not be our intention. In those cases, I personally try to keep it as brief but positive an interaction as possible and make a note to not bother them with anything in the future, if I can avoid it, but still be open to them.
I've been toying with the idea of personal happiness being encapsulated in three simple words: "Don't bother anyone." That doesn't mean never bother with anyone but so often our own spirits are disturbed through some unskillful interaction with another that went badly. The trick is to not wear out our welcome, to quietly cease interaction when we sense we are coming to a point where our presence will be a disturbance to another. That's where "don't bother anyone" comes in because when we disturb others, they disturb us back.
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