It's not that complex.

Holiness is hard, the pursuit of virtues too is hard, but both are rather simple.

Racism is just another vice, an ugly one to be sure. 
But it is certainly less ugly than killing our own offspring.
It's less ugly than adultery in fact. 
It's really really awful, but it's less awful than these other things I've mentioned. 

It has a sort of fashionable "valence", that allows some people on both sides to take umbrage with.  Focusing on it, sort of give some people a comfortable distance from having to work on their own nagging defects that are disrupting the REAL here and now relationships they have with their families, neighbors, and co-workers.  

So (the topic) can distract us from the HARDER work of personal holiness.

It sort of gives people air cover to be seen as on the higher moral ground.  "I was at the protest...see Facebook picture I posted!!"

But if we're honest, it provides cover for some to not focus on cleaning up their own defects and vices.