One of my favorite jokes ends with, "First of all, she's black"  [Answer to what does God look like?]  The reason I like the joke so much is because in one fell swoop, it causes people to subconsciously react, think, then consciously react.

In blog-world it is a little different - the playing field is leveled and I can like or dislike things (and I suppose people or avatars) for what comes out of their head . . . not for what the container appears to be.

When I meet not-yet-in-real-life-friends, I know that I'll be a little concerned about my subconsciously reactions as it will show that I am still human and still (sometimes?) shallow.