If you're not racist, being labeled racist can cause real, concrete damage. Economic damage, social damage, professional damage. In the current climate, it is to at least some degree rational to want to not be labeled racist.

No one would want to be labeled a racist. I think the difference is how constantly worried you are you about it — do you change your behavior in order to steer clear of anything that might remotely look questionable. My friends who are also coworkers never behaved differently around me when in public or in private.

I do.

Basically (almost) everyone in every class I've ever been in, in every school I ever went to, in every province I ever lived in here in Canada.

And they are now adults.

No one who is not racist likes being called racist, and will stoop to all sorts of levels below themselves to somehow prop themselves up as holier than thou.

>People go along with this kind of BS because they are afraid of being labeled as communist

Do you actually know anyone for whom this is true? Afraid of being labeled communist? If you're not communist that strikes me as a crazy thing to obsess over.

See what I did there? These were legitimate fears during the Red Scare. We're similarly in another moral panic, and a lot of these terrible situations are resurrecting.

I just am who I am and people are free to call me what they please. It's always been that way. Doing any differently is acting out of fear. I just don't see any reason to feel fearful.

Back in the 70's did men go around making sure everyone knew they were straight? Some did I suppose, but it was probably kind of sad or embarrassing.

Literaly everyone I know with the exclusion of myself.