Good summary. I grew up in a rural part of the US, and have lived in a few metropolitan regions of the Midwest. My take is a gross oversimplification- but the racism in rural areas seems mean-spirited, but directed by those without any sort of real power and often driven by ignorance. In metropolitan and more bourgeois circles, there’s often 99% awareness and buy-in of the fact that the “first world” is built with the blood of the “third world”, and a tacit approval through lack of action. My fairly poor parents in rural America, once expressed ignorant, reactionary opinions regarding unhoused and Indigenous peoples- I “strongly urged” a course correction in thought. Since then, they’ve attended a few Indigenous speakers at our local library and a powwow hosted by a local tribe. They’ve also volunteered with the temporary housing, and (low bar alert) didn’t express the ignorant opinions others did wrt my travels to San Francisco and Portland for work.

My wife’s folks are from the same region, but have a bit more wealth. They’re very conservative, and much more entrenched in that thought. They literally don’t take in new opposing view points, despite being more formally educated. Without giving too much information- the step dad is an environmental engineer who doesn’t “believe in” climate change, and the mom is a teacher who actively supports anti-teacher state policy. (Fortunately their only “action” is voting).

Compare that with the few state department people I’ve interacted with, where there’s no ignorance in their racism- just conscious, bourgeois liberal white supremacy. And a dedication to maintaining it, and the power to do so.

Like you said- the further removed one sees themselves from those being oppressed- the more smug they are over the blind fortune that they’re not on the receiving end of it.