I'm not American, but no doubt things are always blown out of proportion in the US.
Probably the only country in the world where if there's two people who look different in a scuffle, the first thing is determining if there was racial intent.
One part media, one part culture, one part social media whoring. I live right over the border from the US (more like 90 min away) and it's like night and day. If I travel across the border, you got bulletproof glass in fast food shops and taxi cabs. Chicago subways can be guarded by cops with dogs at night. And not one cop/dog per train. Like one pair every 3 subway cars. Go to a Buffalo Sabres hockey game and outside the arena at each corner is a couple soldiers with a rifle keeping watch and their humvee (I guess to chase down any crooks). Youd think you were attending a military recruitment centre.
Ummm... No. More like historical baggage. And not ancient history, either... No matter how many times people want to peddle that lie.
This country (the US) has a problem with race still... Because no one, particularly the majority population, is willing to have the tough conversation about it and put in the work to eradicate it (as much as it can be without a Druig to mind control the whole country).
You see a white and black or brown man fighting... You can't just assume it's not race related because this country is not fully healed and there's a lot of pushback on it. Asians, Native Americans, black (Latino and non), Latinos and everyone in between and mixed has had a story to tell about dealing with racism from a white person or even from other POC ... And it goes deeper with jailing And sentencing discrepancies as well as other things ... But that's another discussion.
Things have gotten better but some things haven't changed. It isn't because of sharpton or Jackson Jr.... If black and brown people tell you their OWN experiences with racism... That isn't "the media and sharpton" ... Put down your political lenses And maybe listen to experiences unlike your own. I've shared some of mine here and they were dismissed because it wasn't your (general "your") experience. No duh it isn't.
Please understand, i am not angry by typing all this. I'm trying to explain why THAT PART of your post is wrong. You can disagree but I'm an American who knows this country's history and it's present. When i know multiple people (black, Asian and Native American and Latino) who have experienced racism in THIS country... It isn't the media or what have you. The media can't tell me that a white guy calling me the N-word is a bad thing. I ALREADY know it is.