I've remarked on the stares that I've received from Indians and Chinese, elderly and not so elderly, in the town or in the neighborhood. If one doesn't want to be threatening or be attacked, one usually avoids looking at the other, no? Such a unfriendly stare (not neutral or blank - there does seem to be some tension in the face; there is definitely no smile) can be perceived as hostile? Is it natural to get angry at such a glare, an instinct to ready oneself for a defensive (or aggressive) stance?

When one receives it within one's own territory (neighborhood) from a stranger, it does seem like a sleight, rather disrespectful. The virtue of sociability is lacking and would serve to defuse the situation.