We will be using "racist" in the academic sense, meaning systems that are set up in such a way that one group is disadvantaged in comparison to another group. These systems may feel normal or be invisible to nearly everyone involved. No malice or ill-intent is required for a behavior to be racist by this definition.
Bigoted
We will be using bigoted to represent the more colloquial use of the word racist, ie prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. This word denotes malice or ill-intent in the action or behavior being described.
Fundamental Attribution Error
AKA the "Correspondence bias" or the "over-attribution effect," this is the well-proven tendency for humans to explain a person's actions based on what KIND of person they are, rather than on social or environmental forces that influence the person, unless we are thinking about ourselves.
For example: If someone cuts you off in traffic, you are likely to think that that person is a real jerk. But if you yourself cut someone off in traffic, you are not very likely to think that you did that because you are a jerk. Rather, you will likely attribute your accident to not feeling well, being distracted because you just had a fight with your significant other, etc.
