>>Doesn't matter who hears it or whether something nice or bad was said. It is still racist. It denotes that the opinion of the speaker is to separate the color from the man. Trust me, I used to feel the same way you did, until I was educated on the subtleties and what they imply. Not a federal case, just understanding from another perspective.
>
>How about a police discription of a suspect such as:
>"Black male" (or a white male for that matter).
>
>Is this a racist statment?

Of course not. That's a description. If you cannot discern the difference at this point, then I can't help you.