Merriam-Webster defines racism as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” The racist bromides that blacks are lazy or stupid, Hispanics will steal, or Asians are smarter are blatant examples of attributing traits or propensities to an entire race solely based on skin color. Obviously repulsive, such base overt racism is rejected by the overwhelming majority of Americans, but equally repulsive and perhaps more sinister is the notion that “the primary determinant” of ideas or...
