I think that most people believe you have to burn crosses in order to be a racist. You have to be a member of some underground society, or come from the south. These simply aren't true, you don't have to be an overt racist to be a racist.
Racism comes in many forms, and the most common is the day to day stuff you might not be aware of. The people who tend to be these day to day racist are the kinds that defend themselves by saying something along the lines of that they have friends of another race or that they don't hate other races. These people don't consider the casual comments made to be racist, but it's different when you're the one they're talking about, when you pick up on the kinds of people that say things like that. Just cause you view it as innocent fun doesn't make it so, you gotta know how it feels to be the outsider, the one who's different, the one who most everyone complains about, in order to realize you are doing something hurtful.
Problem is, people from the USA are quite xenophobic, so it's not likely they'd go move somewhere else where they isn't a familiar face for miles around. Sure, people go as tourists all over, but they're too busy calling the indeginous people ignorant to listen to what they might have to say.
People say that stereotypes aren't really all that bad, because they're true. Just because it's likely doesn't mean its okay to assume. You shouldn't assume anything these days. Just because someone you meet on the street is likely to be a hetero, doesn't mean they aren't a homosexual. Phrases like differently oriented are not appropriate in my opinion, since the term sexual deviancey implies a norm, and whose to say that those fetishes are wrong. Let's just call a spade a spade, that way we can understand what each other is talking about.
Some people, usually white folk, object to how an african-american can say nigger and be given a high-five while a white person would get dirty stares from around the room. The word nigger is a complex issue, but I will do my best to explain. To an entire people who's history involved them coming to a country as slaves, there's a common bond that can transcend social heirarchy. To that end, the word nigger serves to bring them together during their continuing struggle as well as to remind them where they came from. It brings them together while bringing them down to earth, never forgetting the reality of the situation no matter how strong they grow as a community. Some african-americans view it as a word that holds them back, and until it is erased from the history books they will never attain true equality in society. Others feel it's important to remember the past so you know where you're going. I agree with the latter. That's why it's usually looked down upon for a non-african american to use the words, for their history isn't filled with that word. Hispanics have come to be accepted word slingers, since their people have been oppressed and exploited by the white community, and are still low on the social ladder despite being the largest minority in the USA Today. The cases where white friends use the word nigger are varied and individual, except when it's to complain about african-americans using it. They're jealous, basically, that it's socially unacceptable for them to do something because of their race. If only they knew what that really felt like they probably wouldn't through it around so casually.
Racism is born out of ignorance, it's just a matter of how. We may see no harm in a good Polish joke or a dumb blonde joke, and you may say that no one takes it seriously, but what about the polish kid who's always in the room, hearing the joke told by his friends, they all laugh, so does he, but the laugh has a taste of bitterness. No one today may think the Polish are really that dumb, but it doesn't feel good to hear it with Polish ears. People may make fun of the Asian exchange students who gravitate to each other at the lunch table, really only keep other Asian friends, and don't really speak up in class, but put yourself in their shoes. In an unfamiliar country that speaks a language that differs from the one you taught, Americans done the same. They seek out others from their home or culturally similar, speak English when in the group of friends, and act a little more withdrawn in class. People from the US are known for two things in the rest of the world, being a loud mouth who thinks he or she is superior to everyone else, and being rich. You may not consider yourself rich by american standards, but in other nations you'd be lookedat quite differently. That's not the point though, the point is we speak too much with our mouths and don't spend enough time listening. If we did we'd hear people asking us to stop saying hurtful things, you may find it funny but they don't. Think before you speak, about what the person hearing it will feel, even if they aren't in the room at the time.