My operational definition of racism is a belief that race is somehow a useful means to discriminate between individual humans and behavior. I think there's a d

My operational definition of racism is a belief that race is somehow a useful means to discriminate between individual humans and behavior. I think there's a difference between someone racist using the n word to demean you and someone ignorant using racist language to provoke or hurt you. The use of racist language is insufficient as confirmation of actual racism, but it is evidence. A reading or quoting of Huckleberry Finn isn't necessarily racist. A lady looking to provoke you because she's crazy or drunk or bored isn't necessarily racist. In both cases, it depends on context and intent. What does the human involved believe and intend? Ignorance and stupidity are not racism, they're basic human fallibility. You'll never eliminate them. Lowering the bar for "actual racism" to include stupid and ignorant behavior - removing the criteria of intent and belief - means you're equating universal human behaviors with abhorrent memes. The distinction is pretty critical if we want to eliminate actual racism. Formal organizations are a good social metric to gauge cultural involvement in racism. It's entirely socially unacceptable to take part in social groups known to be racist, and those organizations will eventually disappear - I see this as a positive indication that American culture is improving. The allegations make it seem like there is a cluster of actual racists at the Tesla plant. It's not yokels ignorantly hassling or hazing coworkers, but actual racists harassing black people. The two scenarios indicate two entirely different problems.