As someone who has worked in customer service jobs in the Midwest, I can tell you that racism is very much alive and well. I’ve had to deal with all kinds of openly racist people, from White Nationalists literally wearing hoodies that said “White Power around the world” to actual neo-Nazis that had Nazi tattoos all over their bodies. I’ve had to deal with transphobes that also included racial slurs in their transphobic rants about me when threatening one of my workplaces.
I am also someone who married into a Japanese family, who deal with both anti-Mexican racism and anti-Asian racism on a daily basis.
There also the literal neo-Nazis, White supremacists, and White Nationalist that I deal with online. Being openly trans also seems to bring both transphobic and racist comments to me.
I’ve seen enough in my time to say I’ve met some “fully racist” people.
That being said, this thread still very much just seems like a dog whistle intended discredit claims of racism. Articles like these are commonly thrown around with statements like
Comments like these and overblowing small local issues is how larger issues get erased.