A patient paused mid-thought in my Manhattan office the other day and apologized: “I know I’m saying this as a white guy.” The comment felt out of place, so I asked him what he meant. When his explanation still didn’t fit, I asked what being a white guy had to do with the situation at all. He admitted it had nothing to do with it. He was describing a routine scheduling issue at work. There was no racial dimension and no colleague’s identity involved. He said he felt compelled to add the