I think that you hit the nail right on the head. Behaviorists will tell you that discrimination begins in the crib as a survival instinct. People who look sound smell or taste like our family members are less scary to us than those who don't. Most of us, even people who some might label as "racist," just want to be treated "fairly." I might accept that the other guy is going to win or get the larger half when the cake is divided sometimes. In spite of losing sometimes, I might still feel I am being treated fairly. Others might see the system as being biased so no matter how they try they can never "win." Still others may feel entitled to "win," every time and cry "foul," if they ever lose.
For more than 50-years I have observed that otherwise well-meaning people in the entertainment media have taken a heavy-handed approach in characterizing certain people as "racist." The overweight, White Southern Cop played by Rod Steiger in the film, "In the Heat of the Night," is one stereotype. As a fairly thin Northerner, I never took this seriously. But "Walking a Mile in the Other Guy's Shoes," a few years ago, I concluded that since this image has been shown repeatedly in popular entertainment, decade after decade, the low self-esteem expressed in hostility by some is totally understandable. In other words, I get why some people feel "shit upon," by Affirmative Action. The MAGA Movement has tapped into and energized, this demographic.
Unfortunately, the system does not encourage positive communication by people who feel they have been treated unfairly on both sides of the same issue. We would all benefit from listening more to gain affinity not advantage. If I knew how and where to start, I would launch a movement to do so.
Caption this Meme 