Generally, it's a matter of culture mistaken for race, which then allows the self-righteous types to come out, band out the word "racist" at their whim, with the end result being an inflated sense of moral pride.
There's prejudice everywhere. It's part of this society, and while it may not be the trait of an "enlightened" being, it's so deeply within the mind/ego that it's not only inescapable, the very people pointing the finger are usually the ones who commit the very sin (ie. assuming a moral superiority to people they don't know, and don't know what they've been through)
There's no way to elevate yourself above prejudice without seeing beyond physical, material existence. And once you get to that stage, you're not going to go around self-righteously pointing the finger, because at that point there will be the understanding that everyone is at their own stage of development, and trying to instill shame in them will do no good, as won't trying to elevate yourself above them morally.
I'm surprised this isn't a dynamic not spoken about more widely, but having the race and group identity related catastrophes of the last 100 years will understandably make people hesitant to think outside the box, as well as the collapse of (in particular, western) religions as viable moral systems.
And perhaps it is the case that it's necessary to socially condition people with shame, because that is just the stage of development that the society and culture are at. In essence, though, shaming people out of racism or prejudice just will not work, as if it were against the laws of gravity.
If you genuinely want a society that sees everyone equally, the steps will be made by each person knowing themselves better, because once you know the essence of who you are, you will see the same essence in others. And at that point racism isn't even a consideration.
If at this point you STILL think I'm talking shit, please take the time to have a look at Daryl Davis' work with the KKK, because what he does actually works. And if you get the chance to watch the documentary on his work "Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America" you might see his biggest disagreement and conflict on camera isn't even with white racists, but with black protesters. And in keeping with what I said, you can make your own mind up about that.
OR you can just externalize everything, and unwittingly project your own impulses for judgement and prejudice onto others (no less women selling their bodies) and live on with that distant and subtle, but very real sense of hypocrisy.
