> the kind of nasty emdemic racism that seems all too prevalent in the US barely exists any more Let's be clear, the US has problems, but make no mistake, the

> the kind of nasty emdemic racism that seems all too prevalent in the US barely exists any more Let's be clear, the US has problems, but make no mistake, the US in comparison to Europe and Asia has far less of these problems, despite whatever impressions you get of prevalence. There are acts of overt racism and xenophobia that, even if viewed with disdain and acknowledged with an apologetic tone from the enlightened parts of European society, are nonetheless permissible in public outside the US. Things that, in the US by contrast, would be considered unthinkable that they even even happen, until the evidence is put in front of you, and then the reaction is pretty much universal shock to American eyes and ears no matter where they are on the PC/anti-PC spectrum. (Shocking even to ardent racists, who would instead be thinking, "How are they able to get away with this?") When you hear of commotion across the ocean, think if the US as being an intensely self-critical bodybuilder, or a programmer trying to ruthlessly root out all of the vestiges and latent effects of old bugs.