So hockey pucking people around, categorizing them as nothing but a color coded lump instead of just regular people who think, act, and do as they will is not as bad when those with a curious reputation for having a greater tendency to be unkindly to them do it than it is with those who pet them on their head like a prized mascot do it?
Are you familiar with Ralph Ellison's "The invisible Man"?
Here's another take on the theme, from an article about the movie, "Get Out" -
"Jordan Peele has talked about how there’s an element of dehumanization when you can only see someone’s color and not the whole person. Kaluuya has addressed this too, telling Vulture about “the party scene, when everyone was highlighting how black Chris was and saying ‘black’ things and being nice. You kind of can’t say anything, because you know the intention is to make people feel welcome. However, the impact is making people feel isolated and different, because you just want to feel included, like you belong. That’s what the conflict is, and that’s what it captured.”
This specific kind of casual racism is wildly devastating: It’s recognizing a stranger has designated your race as your defining characteristic. When you’ve spent a lifetime becoming an interesting, thoughtful, well-rounded human, this oversimplification stings. But is your frustration overwrought? Maybe they were just trying to make you comfortable and didn’t know how to otherwise relate? And that’s the mindf**k."
What Get Out Gets Right About American Culture and Blackness
https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/what-get-out-gets-right-about-american-culture-and-blackness.html