I take it then, you've never been literally spat on by someone using the term. It's good that you can let it slide off of you, but that's an internal judgement call on your part, and in no way abrogates the speaker of their actions, does it? It doesn't bother you, but in the final analysis, it was a racist comment.

Racism is racism is racism, I don't care what political side of the fence the speaker is on, they're an idiot, and should be called on it.

When someone is given free license to perform a behavior based *solely* on the color of their skin is, fundamentally, and by definition, racism, whether that behavior is using the clean bathroom, or slinging a racial epithet. Various justifications can be made for allowing for it, depending on one's point of view, but I have yet to see one that didn't boil down to hypocrisy based on either condescending patronization of an oppressed racial group, or self-righteous belief in one's own racial superiority. Which really, when you get down to it, are pretty much the same thing.

Double-standards are wrong, no matter who benefits.