John Fund‘s latest National Review Online column highlights the near-constant cries of racism that plague today’s political debate.

Every time you think there’s nothing left, no area or topic, where race can’t be injected into the conversation, you’re wrong. An African-American skater on the U.S. Olympic team refused to attend the opening celebration because of the results of a coin toss that decided whether he or a white female skater would represent the United States at the ceremony.

The skater, Shani Davis, said the coin toss was “dishonorable,” even though it was the previously agreed-upon method for breaking a tie vote among U.S. athletes. Davis included the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth2018 in his tweet along with a list of his accomplishments that he said should have made him the flag-bearer. It seems as if Davis is alleging the first racially motivated coin toss in Olympic history. …

… A lot of people think the “racist” label is being used too loosely and too often. The dictionary tells us that “racism” is a belief that one’s race is superior to another. But now the charge is hurled for any perceived slight or criticism of people of color. In the theater of the absurd, TV personality Chelsea Handler called Housing Secretary Ben Carson a “black white supremacist” last year. Carson’s apparent sin is being a conservative while black, as opposed to most blacks, who vote for Democratic candidates. …

… So if we wonder why our conversation has become so stilted and so unable to incorporate language that helps us solve problems, let’s acknowledge that crying racism in today’s political theater is sure to create both more smoke and more fire. Before it gets any worse, let’s have as many people of good will as possible declare that, for at least a bit, we should stick to the dictionary definition of racism. After all, dictionaries exist for a reason.