Ok. I''ve sat on this topic for a while as I wasn't able to articulate my thoughts very well.
First off, I don't condone any kind of racism. Being a visible minority, I have had experiences at several parts of my life which have made me uncomfortable. In sports and in life. It is not tolerable in the slightest.
Physical and mental abuse is no laughing matter either. Those that do so with the intention of breaking someone down and with malice is unacceptable.
This being said, this generation is far too sensitive to having their feelings hurt, and calling it abuse. Did my coaches/teachers/parents yell at me and hit me (without intention to hurt, more like a wake up bud) when I wasn't paying attention or acting out? Damn right. Did it hurt emotionally at the time? Likely, my pride and ego took a hit. Did it hurt physically? Not if I was wearing gear, and if not, a minor sting. But did that remind me to snap out of whatever was getting me distracted or to act out? You damn right. Was this sometimes blown out of proportion, and I felt like whoever was slapping me or yelling, wasn't understanding me or communicating to me effectively? You bet your butt. Did it break me? God no.
You know what these events and experiences in my life taught me? Real life isn't fair, and if I didn't have the skills to cope with adversity, and crappy people, I'd be crying to a wall and shutting down. There are comments on this board about how "abuse" is unacceptable in the work place. I agree, whole heartedly. But there is a fine line between saying you have a sh**y boss, and being abused.
I speak from experience, as my previous job, I had amazing bosses for years, but the last 5, I had the worst kind of boss and partners. Ones that played mental warfare games, threw me under the bus, talked behind everybody's back, etc. Honestly, I felt like I was mentally abused some days. But my experiences growing up, allowed me to handle the situation, and get through unscathed and better for it. Was this right? No. But sometimes there are situations where nothing can be done, and it's not criminal or "abusive".
There are great workplaces out there, and I am finally at one that is appalled when I convey my experiences at my old job. There are crummy people and places in the world, and I think that there is a fine line between being abusive, and just being a crummy person. People should never have to put up with abusive people or workplaces, but they should have the skills to handle crummy people. I do see the world changing slowly, to change the workplace culture to a much better environment, and I couldn't be happier. But there is still a good chunk that needs work, and to call every bad situation abuse is painting with a very wide brush.
I realize that there will be some who disagree, and that is fine. I just speak from my experience, and how I view it.
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