In general, why is modern society so quick to cry "racism"?

Because good people recoil at the idea of being thought of as racist and bad people use that against them to get their way.

AND - sometimes it IS racism. Major financial institution Citigroup estimates that discrimination against African Americans cost our economy sixteen trillion dollars in the last 20 years, not 60 years ago, in terms of underemployment and reduced consumer buying power. And wouldn't we like for our economy back? The "green power" argument of the civil rights era is still valid: If all slices of the pie were equal, the pie gets bigger.

Without a doubt it stems from a lack of intellectual agility in addition to poor social skills mixed with marxist idealism taught in schools. It is an easy argument for which there is no rebuttal without reasonable people. Ignorance is now a social prerequisite to find your personal social group that accepts your outlook.

Because the MSM depends on it for headlines that might might conjure self-pity, guilt, or just curiosity; each of which can entice further involvement in MSM. The nobler emotions (i.e. respect, honor, revereance) are too difficult to develop from facts, while "the ethereal" can create its landscape from mere possibilites.

Unfortunately, is a dog whistle that commands instant attention. Once accused no matter if true or not the individual (s) reputation is forever damaged. There is NO penalty for falsie accusing someone and no cost unlike the accused.

I live and work in the Bay Area of California, which is one of the most liberal places in the US. Still, racism is prevalent. For example, a local news station recently dug into a claim that homes of black and brown families were being devalued on the market. One mixed race family got a very low sales estimate on their home, then after removing every culturally black article and photograph, they got a much higher estimate. This was only last year, and it turns out it's rampant.

Yes, in general, people have thinner skins than we had growing up. On the other hand, if everyone in the area is crying "Wolf!", you'll probably find the area covered in wolves. People have thinner skins because they're sick of putting up with being treated like less than people just because they aren't the old white boy patriarchy.

It's hard not to see racism everywhere when it's alive and well and being fed and coaxed out of the caves it was driven into before. There are too many who still think they deserve more and are better humans just because they're white to make these claims of racism wrong. Are some of them wrong? Of course. There are few absolutes in this world. Are most of these claims valid? From where i sit surrounded by it, yes. Yes, they are.

Wow!! “In general, in modern society,” sounds like a very wide-net to cast over any society! Of course, you probably conducted or read, a pretty extensive ethnographic research on the subject matter that helped you arrive at such conclusion. At least, you are not citing any research study on the matter. Which signals that you are probably speaking based-of of your own opinion. In my experience, for the most part, when someone claims racism, there’s a “ there-there.” I have also witnessed that some people make racist comments unaware or I might even say, un-intendedly ( maybe). Personally, I disagree with the premises of your argument.

It is shoved down our throats daily. I personally thought we were the closest we would ever get to being free of racism before Obama became President. To me he instilled racism and brought it again to the forefront. It is sad, as there should be no such thing, but it is here and it will be awhile before it goes away again.

Because it is so damned easy and takes no effort. You don't have to do any research. It removes any need to have to find out the truth. In a word... laziness.

In most cases it's because they don't want to acknowledge their own failures and NEED to blame someone else. In other cases its because they don't have real problems and responsibilities. They do, however, have plenty of time and nothing else to do. Racism absolutely exists, in EVERY culture, but it's not nearly as institutionalized as so many people want it to be.