Obviously, people would not be impacted in the way they are if there weren't pathologicals individuals stirring the pot. This being said, I don't think this mean any conversation around racism or race should end with "pathological individuals are the problem" which is what we usually say. I mean most people outside this forum don't have a clue about psychopathy so we can't expect to draw them away from identity politics and similar form of extremism if we don't speak at a level they can understand. Racism in our society is an issue mostly affecting minorities, in light of everything else it's not necessarily as pressing a problem, hence why people are less interested to look into it I guess.
I suppose that it doesn't necessarily need to affect them to this extent. The experience of white people and minorities, notably black people are still completely different to the point that to really understand one another we would have to switch bodies. Nonetheless, it would be disingenuous not to admit that progress have been made. There was a time not too long ago where not paying a black person the same wages as a white person would not have raised any eyebrows. I guess the issue is that history has left wounds that have never been able to properly heal. After all in society, and I'm not only referring to the US, we are still very much like parasites trying to survive. Then, when an innocent black man get shot by the police or when another form of injustice occurs, the wounds become wide open. The problem is that we're like Sims, we (and that include everyone, not only black people) are being exploited by our overseers. Black people's pain and non-black's prejudice are both exploited. So, to answer your question, it doesn't necessarily need to affect them to this extent, but it is fated to affect them to this extent.
If only black people could see how deep the manipulation runs and if everyone else could understand that they don't gain anything by looking down at other and that the enemy isn't the migrant or the person whose skin darker than them, it is the evil government then we would perhaps be able to get somewhere. Obviously, such a thing will never happen. In a way, that's what prompted my blog post in the same place. What do you do when you know that things can't and will not get better? Times of hardship don't bring unity, quite the contrary. I honestly fear what the coming time will bring. Will there be some kind of race war? It's not entirely impossible. All I can see is a lot of sorrow and grief.
By the way, I don't live in the US and have never actually been there. Born and raised in Europe. Like you, my experience was nothing like my parents. However, due to the colour of my skin, it isn't something I can ignore. Besides, since I started working full-time, I see more and more how apt the comparison of black people to parasite trying to survive truly is. I don't know...how do you let go of anger and despair? What worked for you?