I have heard people talk about how absurd individuals like Ben Shapiro could still find an audience is because they help a lot of people explain away racism. So why many Americans refuse to acknowledge racism still exist? I mean, if they feels guilty about it, then just say something not unlike "There is no ethical consumption under capitalism.", then be a do-nothing purely-rhetorical reformist.
Or, in another world, why racists don't like to be called racist? I know that there have been people who were fired after it came out that they were bigots. But realistically, what is the possible negative outcome your average American racist can expect? They are forced to move to Missisipi?
Because a lot of people actually believe that you have to say the n word or be an actual KKK member or fill some sort of predefined checklist in their heads to actually be racist, and anything less than that is acceptable to them. Thinking about subtle everyday racism makes people feel very uncomfortable, especially if they were guilty of it in the past. Instead of doing the right thing and addressing the issue, it's much easier to ignore it and say stuff like racism doesn't exist, reverse racism, BLM is black supremacy, etc. It's basically a massive moral failing common in settler colonialist states across the world, and this is from someone who lived in probably the most extreme example of settler colonialism in recent history (South Africa and apartheid).