> here's a conjecture: maybe racism is not real, maybe it's something that seems real but isn't, like "evil".

In South Africa they teach young schoolchildren about the country's apartheid history (and knowing this history is a good thing, because it provides context for the country's modern day inequality).

Sadly there are some older generations who have oppposing (and often contradictory) views of exactly how and why said history played out the way it did.

This disagreement of history often leads to modern day racism.

Sadly it's here to stay - at least for a while still - but I do hope that one day it becomes a thing the past.

EDIT: I see you removed your opening line. Leaving it here for context to my comment.