No Offense

"This department has changed so much in the past five years, it's incredible. It used to be old white guys and war--no offense, Molly."

"The public diplomacy field is so US-centric, we need to look at examples of practices outside of American public diplomacy--no offense, Molly."

When people in my department say these things, outwardly I just smile and nod. I understand why they're saying it, and yes, there's some truth to what they're saying. But on the inside, it's like getting punched in the face by my mentors, my colleagues, people who I thought supported me.

It reminds me of the 'with all due respect' moment in Talladega Nights, where Ricky Bobby aruges that he can say whatever he wants if he prefaces it with the token phrase:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af-Id_fuXFA

I'm struggling with another crisis of confidence, worrying about my progress on my research and my slim postdoc employment options. I'm trying my hardest to snap out of it before my research trip on Monday. Wish me luck!