Right -- but of course you're bringing up the HUGER issue of "what is racism?" - where the binary of "racist" or "not racist" is hugely deficient and frequently

Right -- but of course you're bringing up the HUGER issue of "what is racism?" - where the binary of "racist" or "not racist" is hugely deficient and frequently unhelpful. The easiest way I can think to explain it: e.g. Any white person who openly calls me the n-word is very likely a harmless loser to me. More likely to harm me and others; a more powerful person who's intelligent enough not to use it, but may wield language strategically, like perhaps while trying to get elected, denigrates the black opponent by saying "let's not monkey this up." That person might actually like black people, and was being strategic to get racists votes through the dog-whistle, since they have plausible deniability. The second guy feels "less racist," right? BUT HE'S MUCH WORSE THAN THE FIRST GUY in my opinion.