Politeness

It seems to me that there is a difference between how polite someone is based on their class. I went to the mall over the holiday break and, because it was crowded, I bumped in to a few people or had to walk around them. The first time it occurred I didn't really notice; it was a middle aged white male and we sort of just bumped each other passing in the aisle. Neither of us said anything, we just looked at each other and he gave a quick little nod basically signalling everything was fine. The second time this occurred it was with a black man probably in his fifties or so and we just lightly brushed jackets as we walked past. The man immediately turned and apologized, trying to pull his jacket closer as he looked at the items on the shelves. That was when I realized that interactions between individuals can be quite different. I started noticing things as I was walking throughout the mall. A middle aged Hispanic male held a door open for me and told me to have a good day as I left one store. An older white woman ignored me as she rushed past and hit me with her large purse. There were several other anecdotal incidents but my point is that the colored individuals that I met and interacted with were much more polite about the interaction than the non-colored. I only link this to class because of how each individual was dressed. The white male was in a suit, probably a businessman of some sort. The older black gentleman was wearing a rather beat up Eagles winter jacket and blue jeans. The Hispanic man was wearing jeans and a jacket. The elderly white woman was wearing a dress and had several rings on her hands and a rather large hat along with the large purse. Regardless of whether these things signal true class levels, I believe my point is still made. Class and race are related because of the institutionalized efforts of the US society to pressure colored individuals in to lower class rankings. I feel that this may make these individuals either more self-conscious of their actions or simply more polite. I'm not trying to make any sweeping generalizations. I have met very nice white people and rather impolite colored people. I simply found the whole day sort of like an experiment of sorts. I'm wondering how different the entire experience would have been had I been colored as well.