"'Perfunctory' doesn't seem to be quite the right word."

😁Yeah, I usually let people get away with using big words they're not quite ready for. Bless 'em.

I think racism is something more than vestigial tribalism (I'd say unconscious bias is closer to that). Racism as in the practice of segregation, say, or in racially motivated violence, is based on a hatred or fear that I can't quite understand.

I've travelled to some fairly remote areas of the world where people certainly reacted to me as if they'd never met a black person before, but while some were a little hesitant, they were almost unfailingly kind once the initial surprise/curiosity wore off.

It's natural to react differently when you encounter somebody different to yourself, there's be no issue of that was all racism was. The mystery is the degree.