How often do the different Races inter-mingle with each other?

[Berethos]

I'm tempted to agree with Theodric.

Whether or not he's right about the story needing to do more with the issues of racism and xenophobia isn't actually what I was responding to...

It was the conclusion for why it was designed that way that I criticized, nothing more and nothing less.

Regarding Ishgard's xenophobia...most of that is concentrated in the 35-40 questing experience, and at that time we hadn't really proven ourselves to Ishgard. Once we have, via that story and the stuff in the 2.x patch cycle, our experience with them is going to be different...

Now, once you're actually in Ishgard? The main thing then isn't xenophobia, it's class division, which is very much present. Outside of cutscenes you never see the poor in the pillars, and while they spend their time worrying about whether so-and-so Lord's son noticed them or not, or the deal they got gold and silvery jewels, or even having trouble figuring out which store to go to because they spent too much time playing cards instead of studying (so even the kids live differently)...

Those in the Brume are dealing with hunger, and damage to the city, and injury, and the cold...

And those divisions between the rich and the poor, nobles and not, in Ishgard has been pretty central to the story so far. Ishgard's xenophobic nature really only applies when you're outside Ishgard, and is also the whole reason you can't go there until you've earned it in the story.