The cry of "racist" is a complete conversation stopper....and is often used as such. But racism is always defined by the cryer.
Sure we have folks who say racist things...from Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (shall we forget his referring to New York as Hymie Town?)...to Jimmie the Greek, to Dan Rather, to Obama to Trump.
But sometimes folks sound racist for representing the special interests of their group...like Al Sharpton and Jesse or even Obama...but not called out like someone who is white, male, and "privileged", and is also representing the interests of his particular group.
If a white man had opined that someone was "a typical Black person"....they would have been pilloried. Obama uttering that sentiment about someone being a typical white person was not generally taken as a racist comment.
The truth in America is that a minority group may not be called racist....while a majority group will be.
To have a Black Miss America, a Black Caucus, a Black Entertainers Award, a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, etc...is not considered racist. Because it is considered to be supportive. A similar group for a majority would be considered to be excluding and thus racist.
But all in all, the call of "racist" is now often used to shut conversation down, or to advance an agenda.
"Tainting the tea party movement with the charge of racism is proving to be an effective strategy for Democrats. There is no evidence that tea party adherents are any more racist than other Republicans, and indeed many other Americans. But getting them to spend their time purging their ranks and having candidates distance themselves should help Democrats win in November. Having one’s opponent rebut charges of racism is far better than discussing joblessness." --
Mary Frances Berry, former Chairwoman, US Commission on Civil Rights
