The whole reason I like to tour with folks I don't know and in areas I don't live in is so that I can get to know them, along with their experiences and opinions, even if (or especially because) I might meet someone who is different from me and I might learn something. I try to keep an open mind, and if someone really ends up annoying me, I just ignore them. Usually, though, people are interesting in one way or another. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder or dig a little deeper.

Oh, and Virginia, I've been in the Northeast and I've found some of the least-tolerant people there I've ever met. But there I go stereotyping again. Silly me.