Dude, I respect your experiences and perspective but you've spent this whole thread trampling a totally valid lit crit thread lawyering over the meaning of the word racism, which btw by definition actually includes such concepts as discrimination, negative stereotyping.
Valid? Me, trampling? I must be missing something. I just wanted to hear a definition that didn't come from wikipedia or google for a change. Chill out.
Besides, it's a common misunderstanding. People think any mentioning of race is racism, but that just plain isn't true.
Racism is the ability to exercise systemic power against a people based on race.
Earlier I made the following experiential definition of racism from the perspective of one affected by it
Racism isn't a cute, speculative or figurative idea, it is an abrupt disruption in dignity and destiny on the basis of superficial physical traits and appearances.
I guess it's not valid.
I'm over it. This discussion is getting mad pretentious now anyway and I'm not going to take the brunt of any hurt feelings.