- I was told things like "You can't understand this as a white man,"
- I had a coworker get very disturbed (and possibly go to HR) because another coworker used the word "Tight ass" about me (as a joke, which I was cool with. Unclear if he thought that was anti-homosexual, or disapproved of the word ass).
- Where I went to college, an allegedly racist student was attacked and it was recommended he withdraw from university "for his own safety" over some confusion over an allegedly racist cartoon on a fridge in a common area.
- I had a coworker recently say on slack that she would "feel uncomfortable as a woman if her manager suggested that Trump isn't racist."
- During the anti-Trump marches in SF I saw a group of people attack a man standing to the side holding a pro-Trump sign.
So, therefore, yes, some people are doing one of two things:
- Getting really emotional about equality and wanting to play hero so badly that it goes to their heads in a way that makes them the bad guys.
- Ruthless people use whatever tool they can to try to win an argument.
Now maybe you're in the South, where you are surrounded by actual racists doing actual hate crimes, so I understand you may have valid personal experiences around racism. But if you want to be a good person, it's your obligation to listen to and consider my experiences.
Because the pattern I seem to keep seeing is that self-righteousness is enemy.