I can actually relate to that.

It's a good article, Chao.

I don't think people will stop using all kinds of tools when it comes to comedy. It's the freedom that we enjoy, exploring new thoughts, also at the expense of others.

Now I don't care about comedians. I like some of them, I can choose what to watch or not. The variety allows us to find something that suits our soul. And the button on the remote allows us not to watch things we don't like.

But when it comes to being a kid, that's a tough one.

For the longest time I've wondered, why are kids so cruel.

I was actually born in Slovenia, but as I was one month old, my mother went back to Germany with me, where she already lived.

Seven years later, she left my father and returned to our home town. Which meant I changed schools AND countries, two countries who couldn't be more different at the time, at least not in Europe. Capital vs communist and so on.

Even though I caught up with the language within a few months, the kids thought it was funny calling me "Dachauer". They knew it had something to do with the second world war, something to do with the Germans who were the enemy. And because I just came from Germany, I was automatically the enemy.

Now THEY didn't quite understand what Dachau stood for but I did.

All they knew is that the joke hurt me and because I was a sensitive kid, I didn't know how NOT to react. So I reacted, I was angry, sad, I cried - and the kids thought it was funny.

And I was one of them actually. After a few month there was no difference in the colour of my skin, my eyes or my accent. And yet they wouldn't stop for the next eight years.

It wasn't because they were trying to hurt me. It was because they thought it funny they could get a reaction out of me.

A couple of years later I switched countries again, I returned to Germany. Now I was the stranger there. My accent became quite strong, no one got my humour... But this time I was older. People weren't as mean but it was harder to connect.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger? I don't know. It never made me stronger.

I think especially kids like to repeat what they hear at home.

Racism is here, always has been and I don't know when it will stop.

If you're different in any way, you will have a hard time.

Why? My explanation is this.

Anything that's different, puts us on alarm. (Old preservation instincts?)

Anything that's different we automatically are afraid of. And what we are afraid of, we are trying to destroy. It's not a conscious effort, I think it happens without bad intent. (I know that doesn't help, in the end it still hurts like hell.)

What disappoints me about us humans are out baser instincts which are still ruling us.

We have a sophisticated brain. Why hasn't that brain managed to keep our baser instincts in check, according to our needs?

Fear, greed... They still rule us. Literally rule us.

The only way out is a better and larger understanding, which would mean better education, not just about math but about cultures and life.

And an education of feelings.

There are people fighting for all these things, every day.

As much as I'm disappointed about humanity, I also appreciate the good things, don't worry.

But look how sensitive we are, your article proves that. So now tell me, how can humanity be ready for the advanced technology we are introducing into our lives, if we can't even govern our own emotions?

It's just one of those puzzles and things I wonder about every day.

And in that effort to educate others about relationships and feelings for example, I wrote a book. And it's not the first book.

So given how harshly you have judged me on my one response last time, allow the question - are you also judging too quickly as you have been judged too quickly yourself your whole life?

Look, it's ok. I hope you can hear my calm voice and reason behind all my words. That's the downside of writing and not talking face to face - you can't see all the kindness and patience I radiate, even if I use the harshest of descriptions myself.

We are all so different... One of the things I used to love about humanity.

Look, may I give you an example of my experience when it comes to Chinese people?

I don't have one.

How come? I have friends all over the world, from all kinds of cultural backgrounds.

But I can't call one single Chinese or Japanese person my friend, not even an acquaintance, despite all my efforts.

Why is that? I'm actually asking you, with kind curiosity - why is that? Do you have an insight?

I keep learning about the Chinese and Japanese culture as much as I can, I have had friends living there. But none of them came back able to say they made friends.

I really don't know what's going on there and therefore I have no opinion really nor judgement.

I only have a fact - I tried to make friends but got shut out.

In all fairness, it's just as hard to make real friends here in the UK with British people. Well, not AS hard, I do have a couple of British friends. Not many though. I have a ton of Mexican friends, some from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Romania, Germany, Spain, India, Argentina, Chile, France, Russia, Poland, Pakistan, Vietnam, Malaysia...

Given how isolated China and Japan are, even geographically, it will take a long time before we get closer together, culturally, in our understanding of each other.

But if life has taught me anything, it's that people from any country are judgemental. Racist even. It's in our blood. As I said, I guess it has to do with fear among other things.

The only thing we can do at this point, as we are conversing, is to try to be careful what we say directly to each other.

My comment on women was general, from my experience, not directed at a writer.

Your comment on my writing ended up in judgement of me, even though you don't know me. Can you see the difference?

Look, it's fine. We are all learning. I'm just saying, as we are sensitive and hurt, feeling judged, we are prone to pass judgement on others as well, without noticing that we are doing the same what has been done to us.

That's what pain does to us. It makes us a bit blind perhaps to our own actions.

Reading your article I thought I could sense a lot of pain. Or maybe that's just me, being reminded of my own childhood. I hope I'm not transferring my memory of my pain onto your article.

As I said, it's a good article. It started a conversation between you and I.

And that's exactly what needs to happen, in general, around the world, and we need to keep trying to understand each other and do better where possible.

On a personal level that is definitely possible.

Chao, I'm definitely sorry for what you had to go through and what still hurts you.