Okay but that doesn’t make that shirt in particular racist. Horribly insensitive, and I’ll admit I laughed a little in shock, but racism is really a stretch. There are plenty of other good ways to denounce this without using a term that can be disputed.

I actually think that’s an important part of communication that many people, particularly on the left, overlook: if your phrasing can be disputed, your words are called into question even if your underlying point is sound.

It would be wise to sidestep the issue using phrasing that is not disputable, or at least easily defensible.