"Racism is defined as prejudice plus power"

Race at the American Music Awards

     I just read two snippets about artists at the AMAs and race. The first, Katy Perry Performs in Racist Geisha Costume at the AMA’s, echoes what seems to be an increasingly common refrain on certain parts of the Internet (or at least I'm getting more familiar with them!). Color Lines discusses the cultural appropriation and racism that Katy Perry displays by "dressing as a Geisha". There's some other insightful (Psychology Today) and short (Vulture) commentary that leads me to my contribution to this conversation: a sidebar on the phrase "politically correct".
     Whenever I'm talking to someone that uses the term "politically correct", I panic a little. My mind goes into overdrive as I think about how I will respond to someone with whom I likely disagree at a fundamental level. You see, I've decided that "politically correct" tends to be code for "not racist", at least for how I define racism. I would wager that my interlocutors do not share the same definition of racism, and these different understandings of race, racism, and racial experiences is, I think, central to the discussion at hand. I should note that sometimes "politically correct" also means "not homophobic", "not sexist/misogynistic", or some other type of society-level power dynamic. In fact, in conversation I tend to substitute the terms in my head and other people sound something like this:

person: "Why do they have to be so politically correct not racist? He bought that costume at the store and painted his face black to complete the look. He's obviously not saying that Black people today wear bones in their hair and grass skirts."
or
"The liberals are taking over with their political correctness not racist-ness."
or
"Sorry, I know this is not politically correct racist, but it's how I feel."
Anyway, it seems pretty certain to me that "political correct" is quite often used as a racialized code word, that is, it's used to activate and mobilize racist sentiments in a socially acceptable way.

     To turn back to the AMAs, another post from Color Lines points out another salient crop-up of an artist's explicit engagement with issues of power and race in Macklemore’s Trayvon Martin Tribute Matters — Here’s Why. In contrast to Katy Perry's (obliviously??) racist performance, Macklemore continues to endeavor to contribute a White antiracist perspective. While he does fumble topics of power and privilege at times, I find it interesting to see him try.
In other news, people of color don't have to listen to Macklemore songs or read antiracist literature to understand that society in the US is racist and actively oppresses people of color (among countless others). I think of Kanye's gripping "New Slaves" and the more recent "Love is the Answer" video from Aloe Blacc.