We tend to get worked up around here over things like "the race card" and "code words" and "dog whistles" as things that signal racism.
So it is instructive to remember that while this country still has far to go to banish racism, it could be worse -- a lot worse. Some places don't bother trying to disguise racism.
We could live in Spain, for instance, where this past weekend a group of auto racing fans gave the entire country a bad name by hurling the most vile racial insults imaginable at a young man named Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton is the first black driver ever in the prestigious Formula One racing series, which is supposed to be the pinnacle of auto racing in the world.
Teams spend hundreds of millions of dollars and race in such glamorous locales as Monte Carlo. It is a sport that brings out the rich and beautiful on multiple continents.
Except when it brings out the ugly and disgusting.
This past weekend Formula One teams were in Barcelona, Spain, testing for the start of the season. Hamilton, who was Formula One's rookie sensation last year, is blamed by many Spanish fans for hurting the chances of his Spanish teammate, driver Fernando Alonso. (It's a long story. I won't go into it.)
So some of the fans watching the test session let Hamilton know it.
Some spectators in the mainly Spanish crowd had their faces blacked up while others called him "black bitch" and "black s***".
Fans also booed and brandished offensive banners in the stand opposite his team's base.
As bad as that was, the fans decided to go even further:
A group of spectators wore wigs, dark makeup and T-shirts with the words "Hamilton's Family" scrawled on them. The circuit said Monday it may take legal action against those spectators involved in the racist taunts.
You can see a picture of these brain-dead morons at the first link above.
Things got so bad that Hamilton had to be protected from these animals.
Circuit staff erected barriers around the team's paddock Saturday while banners making references to Hamilton and team boss Ron Dennis were removed. The stands directly above McLaren's garage were cleared to ensure no debris could be thrown down when the car returned to the pit lane.
Formula One, to its credit, is threatening to cancel Spain's spot on the racing schedule if steps are not taken to curb this kind of behavior.
The sport's ruling body said Monday the abuse aimed at F1's first black driver during weekend testing at the Barcelona circuit might result in sanctions. Punishment could lead to the removal of two races from the Grand Prix calendar - the Spanish Grand Prix on April 27 in Barcelona and the European GP on Aug. 24 at Valencia.