I wonder if that main character is really racist, or if he is "merely" trying to intimidate his colleagues to be the boss, and racism is simply the easiest rout

I wonder if that main character is really racist, or if he is "merely" trying to intimidate his colleagues to be the boss, and racism is simply the easiest route to intimidation. While it might sound as if in effect there is no difference, I think there might be: one variant makes the victim think "whoa, the world is full of racists out to get me", the other is "just another asshole boss". I mean the latter case would be somebody looking for weaknesses in his opponents. If the other person is a white guy, he would probably find something else, joke about is weight, being poor or whatever applies. That's of course no excuse, it just seems easier to remove yourself from the affects of one bad boss/colleague than from racism.