Race is a simplistic dividing line upon which any grievance can be blamed. It requires no thought on the part of those who would use it as an excuse, only the release of pent-up hostility and frustration. In the human psyche, it can be rationalized into sufficient reason to excuse almost any act in the mind of those who choose to wield it thus, without the need to establish individual guilt of any wrongdoing.
I love Pseudo Psychologists. They are so cocktail party hip!