1) A lot of people are racist without realising they are. That doesn't make it a crime - but it should make you look at yourself if you're called out on it.
2) The conclusive evidence is that Phil agreed with the statement that people should avoid areas with black people and Pakistanis. Avoiding people because they're black or Pakistani is racist, because it's discriminating against them based on their race.
3) It was daft... but it was still racist. I'm not saying that Phil is a monster, or that he regularly goes around being a huge racist, or that he believes in his heart of hearts that black people are inferior etc. I said that that statement was one of the most racist things I have seen on this forum recently.
It is very obvious you have a major problem with racism ever being called out. I would advise you to have a serious think about why that is, because I don't want to jump to conclusions but ignoring racism (as I have pointed out and you have ignored twice) but being outraged by someone saying that a statement is racist is a rather odd position for you to hold when it is pretty conclusively racist. As I have explained numerous times yet you have come back with nothing more than "no it isn't" and tried to imply I was casting aspersions on everything that Phil believes. Your strawman isn't relevant here: the fact is that that statement in particular was racist, and you have provided nothing to show that it isn't.
You must be having a laugh if you think I'm going to apologise for not tolerating racism. What is this? 1950?
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It doesn't matter if they're insulted. The point is that it's a statement about the character of what they said, and not something said purely to offend or to make them upset. Perhaps next time you see an accusation of racism you could ask yourself why they're saying that, and not cast aspersions on their rationality or make out like they're too young to know the implications of what they're saying (and don't pretend that that isn't what you implied).
If you're a student I'm really not much older than you. If you feel like I was implying you were too young to understand, perhaps that's a little more on you than me.
There is no straw man here. We can continue to disagree about whether a particular poster is a racist or not. I accepted from the beginning you were not trying to upset that poster, but I felt it was poor form, detracted from the debate, and quite uncalled for. If a single badly worded post on an Internet forum makes you do that than you should rein in your instincts - it's what a lot of us would immediately feel, but sometimes it's worth thinking before you post.
Again, you revert to suggesting that if someone shouts "racist" my first concern should be that the person might be a racist, and not the consequences of someone shouting "racist". I am quite concerned about the consequences. I do not feel like I need an education about racism or prejudice in general.
We've paid dearly for using the racist card over the years. I have used it a lot. The Brexit scenario was a wake up call. People like you and me got our butts kicked in that referendum. And why? Immigration! Of course when I see Farage stand up on stage I think "you bloody racist xenophobe". But the more the Remainers accused the Leavers of racism/xenophobia/stupidity the stronger and more resolute they got. It made the Remainers look hysterical and undermined the campaign. It is not at all helpful to adopt the tactics you rely on.
You will not win against the remaining people who are racist by using shrill voices and talking about academic principles. The feminist lobby (if I might use such a cumbersome term) has managed to ensure that most men are by default feminists too. The remaining mysoginists only switch their ears off if they hear terms like "intersectional feminism", "cis", and so on. The same principle applies to racists. Calling out racism and saying "you are a racist" does not win the debate. It does not convert racists to beacons of the civil rights struggle overnight. It just turns the people you're trying to reach off.
