One thing that's really hard to explain to undergraduate students is that not only does racism still exist, but that token symbols of cultural integration don't really mean much. For example, just because you listen to rap music it doesn't mean you're not necessarily racist or that you're free to use the black-specific racial slurs that so frequently populate rap albums.
But here's another great example of this -- owning a chain of "mexican" restaurants doesn't mean you don't hate Mexican people. Take for example Tony Sutton, chairman of the Minnesota GOP and owner of the Baja Sol chain of faux Mexican food.
While you might think his ownership of a chain of Mexican restaurants might make him somewhat sympathetic to the plight of Mexican peoples, he's actually a major proponent of a 1070-style apartheid law in Minnesota.
Or, as a more cynical observer might put it, not only does he not care about Mexican people, he's actively exploiting (a poor imitation of) their culture to grow wealthy while simultaneously seeking to oppress and disenfranchise them. In other words, despite the fact that he has the trappings of multiculturalism around him, he's still a good ol' fashioned white supremacist.
If you live in the Twin Cities area and want to help point out the hypocrisy/insanity of this fella, those crazy rabble rousers over at SEIU are organizing weekly events at his restaurants to highlight ridiculousness. Come on down and join in the fun!
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