>>214150186
I'm talking about the modern concept of racism, not the historic phrenology crap. You're correct in that what you described existed before the modern era, but as markets began to globalize in the 20th century those who controlled industry realized they could save a ton of money by importing labor from wherever it's cheapest. Hence the need to create a powerful social tool that would keep the working class in line for fear of becoming a pariah.
>you protest against your company firing 100 workers to hire Mexicans in their place
>What's that? You hate Mexicans? This clearly has nothing to do with losing your job, you must be a racist who hates Mexicans for no reason!
>you are now branded a racist and will struggle to find a new job to replace the one you just lost due to the social stigma of the label
That's the modern concept of racism, which has become so ingrained within western society over the past century that it has since mutated into what's now called "identity politics". Identity politics are a result of westerners living under the threat of racism for so long that we've forgotten why we even care about it in the first place. So we made up new labels, new rules, and new bad words to enforce.