Geezer - in some way it all reminds me about the very surprising study about the "average" human face. Google for it, its well worth a look. Turns out, the average face (using software to combine thousands of faces) is absoloutely gorgeous! The explanation offered is that the averaging process irons out all the wrinkles and blemishes. Could the same effect be valid for economies and societies?

Misfit: its a religion to me. I've never sold water in a desert for $100 but i have sold western condoms in asia for €5. :P

I'm sorry for leading this thread so far off topic. I think we should be optimistic about the future of discrimination of all kinds. It WILL disappear, and I personally believe economic policy is the key. I do NOT believe equal-rights legislation will help at all. What about the line in a David Bowie song "we can force you to believe, and we can force you to be free"...really?

Yes! Actually I forget the source but will try to remember and PM you if i can. Likely that something can be found in Wealth of Nations. Are you an economist, could it have been Adam Smith? I've seen several case studies, all of them on a micro scale. Harlem in NYC during the 1960's is the one that comes to mind most. Yes of course this was at a time of problems, black panthers etc., but according to commentaries about that time (refer to e.g. brothermalcolm.net, search around and you should find some studies there), the locals set up their own economies which quickly developed into the scenario I described - IF one can manage to filter out the men of violence and their actions.

There is the inbuilt assumption that all foreigners speak good English. It's a form of prejudice. The kids are just as likely to learn bad English by talking to random foreigners - in fact they're MORE likely to learn bad English in this way. The exercise has no benefits whatsoever as far as learning a language is concerned, and the points raised by english_tutour did not convince me.
Regarding general confidence-building and personal development, I don't think its an appropriate method at all, and if this is the goal it should at least be coordinated with parents and staff, and be a documented part of the school curriculum.

I repeat my earlier conclusion that speaking a language with new people IS educational, IF and only if it is supervised.

There's no end to the number of potential scenarios for discrimination. You never know when you're gonna be on the giving or receiving end. For instance, do you discriminate against racists? If it's not one thing, it's another. That's why I maintain that a free market, i.e. really free, not screwed by subventions and price controls, would be a fix-all solution worth trying.

A proven fact is that a truly free market leads to separation (as opposed to integration), for example between races, ages and genders. My unproven theory is that acceptance would flourish in this scenario. In fact it's been observed on a micro scale in some New York hoods. We'll never know for sure, I guess.

I have a picture from outside a Chinese shop written in English and Chinese, it reads, "This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, The Vietnamese, and the Dog". I was very impressed by the capitalization, even the Dog gets a big D. That shows respect...or?

Psychopaths are people too, i suppose.