I think you highlight a fundamental issue I am still quiet honestly trying to define in my own thinking and writing. The problem is reflected in the history of the idea that you cover. At present, I am thinking there should be two definitions of racism: personal and institutional or governmental. There are many individual whites who are not truly racist, sensitive to being called racist, and even work on their thoughts and emotions to try to eliminate the little bit of racism they might encounter within themselves that they don’t show to anyone. You and I are probably such people, and I bet you know many more. Being called a racist hurts on the individual’s emotional level, and being “forced” to admit to being a white racist is absurd on this level in any of the three categories you list, and even offensive. However, there is such thing as government racism. Our government isn’t the only democracy to create laws and policies anathema to democratic principles, the “we the people” democracy represents. But it’s the most most vocal nad pronounced and the one I happen to know best and have a vested in most. The U.S. Constitution makes no mention of race, and the first mention of it wasn’t until the Supreme Court made mention in the mid 1800’s. Thus, the “we the people” from the beginning meant every race, religion and gender, which is the entire purpose of the humanist principles behind the secular democracy set up and proclaimed. The practice was much different of course than the principle on paper. There has been a continued effort of deny right even after slavery was abolished by government laws and policies and enforced (unfairly) by police and other forces. From Jim Crow, to redlining, to the Crime Bill Biden backed and help pass under Clinton that ended up putting more blacks in jail than whites, to current voter suppression laws being passed. Although I am against these government laws, and one could argue the modern laws don’t have any language on race in them, their intent is clear and implementation indisputable. Police in Florida in the 2000 election actively blocked blacks from voting and sent them home when they tried to show up. That would never happen to me or you as whites. It is the force of the government system being used racially, or disproportionately, against blacks. More blacks were in jail that same year then there were slaves in total US history. That shocked me when I recently found out. Blacks who served their prison time could vote in Florida, denying them of their right to participate. (I personally believe every prisoner has a right to vote since they are still Americans, though I haven’t explored that issue). This systemic racism is in play and felt much more acutely by blacks, especially those unfairly treated by it. Twice as many blacks were affected in number than whites from the 2008 housing crisis, and the wealth gap widened greatly between black and white wealth, with blacks being lowered in worth to ten cents for every hundred dollars whites were worth (see the Central Bank’s analysis for exact numbers). To date, almost no whites have been prosecuted for crack. So in short, I am under category one, personal racism, not a racist and against white supremacist parades; on category two, governmental or systemic racism, I do participate in a democracy that has and does in engage in making policies and law anathema to my personal beliefs and that offend me and blacks (and hopefully you). Both parties participated in creating the Crime Bill passed during Clinton’s presidency and Hillary Clinton coined the horrific phrase “Super Predator” to brand young black men that had a direct effect on how police police. It’s been both parties. Biden just announced (December 09, 2021)—or didn’t announce—that he won’t strike down mandatory guidelines that result from the Crime he promoted. Obama did back the police and attend their funerals during the Dallas shooting, but didn’t mention the black tragedies or attend the black people’s funerals. We should whitewash history, as Dems have been involved, even if not as determined and active as the racist tendencies of the GOP (see Reagan’s “Welfare Queen” myth, or any of the offensively (personally—category one) racist tweets and comments of rep Green or Boebert or Gosar, etc. This systemic planned racism is there to divide the poor in half, so that’s why I’m against it. Outraged and angry whites who are poor vote with their skin and against their economic interests (which is allowed), while blacks tend to vote Democrats and for economic self interests (and against racist support policies, which is also allowed and which I encourage—I’m all for the “Great Replacement”). I still think we need to fight systemic racism. I’m not a racist, but I would try to educate people about the difference between personal and systemic if they called me a racist. Thanks much for ‘provoking’ this discussion and thinking.