These ARE old white guys, who fancy themselves conservative. That’s what’s funny. They’re so gelded they can’t fathom just saying “nah”
I hit them with that “I wanna see a sinking USN carrier” take and they were shocked, later on the guy asked if I was serious and I said “well, it’s not like there’ll be any americans on the boat anyways. Just a bunch o’ blacks, puerto ricans, and latinxes on a navy boat these days.”
I’m finding better luck w/ the boomers by presenting my ‘racism’ as simple reflections of them. Present as “hey, I used to be colorblind, but everyone else seems to see it, and I’m just returning the treatment they all give me. If brown folx hate me by default I’m not goin’ out of my way to GAF about them.
“They wouldn’t throw me a life jacket, why should I return the sentiment?”