But then again, I guess it's racist to call French people frogs, so I can understand how someone would come to the conclusion that it's racist to call someone a Kiwi.
racism
1 Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against
someone of a different race based on the belief that one's
own race is superior.
This abuse of the word better stop soon or people will start wearing T-shirts with 'racist and proud of it' in sheer frustration from being called 'racist' at the drop of a hat.However, I think it's generally the case that when people use the term "racist", they mean "derogatory based on the origin of the person", and not necessarily their race. Language is flexible and people use terms in common usage which is does not adhere to prescriptive definitions. I have to admit being quite pedantic myself, but have come to accept looser definitions of words as I get older. As long as I understand what the person is intending to say, I try not to worry about what they actually said. This has helped me communicate with people greatly. YMMV.
[1] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/milk-white-supremacy-ra...
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/us/white-supremacists-sci...
In Singapore I was asked if it’s ok to refer to me and a Kiwi because they thought it may be a racist term.