I'm going to crystallize arguments made in this thread and add fine-tuning to the general argument: Racism is a nonsense, malicious term (debateart.com) .
As an astute member has pointed out Racism is a nonsense, malicious term (debateart.com), whenever something is called "racist", there seems to always be a follow-up question asking 'how is this racist?' If a term is so clearly defined, then why do we seem to always need this follow-up question? Furthermore, how can we have debates that last for hours all over the internet about whether something is "racist" or not, and not have it resolved within seconds because of a clear definition? Why can't they just quote Wikipedia or Merriam Webster and be done with it?
It's because the term is nonsense.
Functionally, "racist" and "racism" are used when "race" is mentioned and people's feelings get hurt; labelling something "racist" doesn't add any information. That's it. It's like a trigger for someone to pull whenever race is mentioned in a debate or conversation. There's no clear-cut definition that is used, elsewise there wouldn't be widespread confusion and endless debates about what is "racist", unlike when we say things like "bed" and "chair" -- those things are crystal clear. Take into consideration all the wasted hours of human endeavor spent on determining whether something is "racist" when it's a nonsense term.
And we have to further wonder about the limits to the nonsense of the "racism" term when you consider scientific claims. IQ is a controversial topic that gets people upset, but if IQ is a valid concept, can IQ test results be "racist?" Can you be scientifically correct and "racist" at the same time? We get to the stage here where what could be scientific fact is considered wrong because it's "racist" -- a nonsensical contradiction. If we take something less controversial, such as the idea that human races exist, this can also be labelled "racist". Did humans not undergo evolution because it would be "racist" to think so? Now we're starting to deny scientific fact based on it being "racist" -- pretty malicious.
But the terms "racist" and "racism" gets even more harmful when you consider that it conflates with what Hitler did. According to users of the term "racist", Hitler was a "racist" (despite him and race realists being polar-opposites of each other. Hitler hated IQ tests because Jews did the best on them, and Hitler's notion of race is pseudo-science). So, despite Hitler not having a whole lot in common with race realists, race realists are slandered with the term "racist" which draws feelings of Jews dying in the Holocaust -- a truly malicious, incorrect conflation.
As you can see, "racist" is a nonsense, malicious term that doesn't make sense, wastes countless hours, slanders scientific claims with nonsense and slurs race realists with the emotional weight of the Holocaust.
Stop using this nonsense, malicious language.
If a Scientologist called you a suppressive, would you care? Do you even know what a suppressive is? Scientology is probably a religion that you don't believe in, hence you wouldn't care about being labelled a suppressive. You'd either mock them, ask them what they mean (because it's another nonsense term) or pretend you're a suppressive for comedic effect. You certainly wouldn't be so quick to defend yourself, or list off all the Scientology friends you have as proof of your non-suppressive personage, or debate endlessly about being a suppressive means. So why give "racist" the same credence? Start calling the terms "racist" and "racism" out for what they are: nonsense.
But clearly there are real ill-feelings relating to race, right? Surely, someone hating someone else because of their race is "racist?" This is where clear, sensical language can be used: racial hatred. If someone hates someone else because of their race, he/she has "racial hatred". If someone votes for a certain party because he/she think it's best represents your race's interest, he/she has "racial bias". Use clear, sensical language instead of the nonsense terms.
The saddest part about all of this is that "racist" and all the false narratives that go along with it (white privilege, systemic racism, Native American genocide etc.) are all taught to you before your brain has fully developed (roughly age 24). By the time you've reached this age, you've been forced to accept these false narratives all the way from 5 years old into college age. If you ever questioned any of it, you were wrong because your word was against your teacher's. This is indoctrination. If you ever dare try to critically think about all this stuff you learned at school, you've got this lingering feeling that you're doing the wrong thing because you've been conditioned from the age of 5 into feeling that it's wrong. If you somehow can ignore this lingering feeling that was imposed upon you as a child through this indoctrination, you're "racist".
"Racist" is a nonsense, malicious term, too.
