Racism is supposed to be actions that stifle the individuality and well-being of an oppressed race. Over-sensitivity is so deeply embedded within our minds and society that it is virtually impossible to escape. And all kinds of innocuous gestures keep racial tension alive and well. Everyday interactions are misinterpreted. New York Times Opinion Columnist Bret Stephens provides a case in point:

To see how “woke” culture has transformed American universities, said Bret Stephens, consider a recent incident at Smith College. Student Oumou Kanoute was eating lunch in an empty dorm lounge when campus security told her to leave. Kanoute alleged racism, saying in a Facebook post that started a national firestorm, “All I did was be black.” A white janitor she blamed for summoning security was put on leave, the university president issued profuse apologies, and the college required staff to take anti-racism training. But as a story in the Times detailed last week, “the narrative of racist harassment of a minority student at an elitist white institution turned out to be comprehensively false.” Kanoute had gone into a dorm that was closed for the summer, and security had been told to tell all unauthorized people to leave. Nonetheless, anti-racism consultants hired by Smith pressed all white employees to confess their bigotry and asked them intrusive questions about their parents’ racial attitudes. One administrator quit in protest. Why have racial tensions boiled over at so many of the nation’s liberal arts colleges? When students are steeped in “critical race theory” and “microaggressions,” it’s not surprising they see racism everywhere.