Sounds like me. I've lived everywhere around the country and in neighborhoods where I was the only white guy around. I've always been comfortable around everyone. Helps that I am a big dude probably, but I have spent way more time around minorities than I have my own folks.
The reason was I started out broke so I had to live amongst the broke. LOL. No complaints as I cannot imagine anyone living a better life than I have been fortunate enough to. Those early hard times teach you to appreciate what comes next, and when you look back on them, well, they weren't really hard at all.
In one of the neighborhoods I lived in the local liquor store owner got kidnapped it was so rough and another night while I was watching my favorite show on television the police were chasing a guy and shot him in the alley by my apartment so I went out on the stairs and hollered at them to pipe down a bit so I could watch my show. I really knew I had became a city boy when I did that.
What I would be interested in knowing is that the folks that didn't get out and live amongst the people, does that prevent them from being empathetic to some degree? Would most of our conservative friends on here have stayed in their bunkers their whole lives or most of it? Would be interesting to know.