Malthus, my opinions aren't necessarily contrary to yours but you were stating:
"No-one denies racism exists, but I think its real importance as to who does well and who doesn't is far overstated."
Where as I was suggesting that in my opinion it is perhaps understated not overstated. "It" not necessarily meaning racism but the importance of selective culturally or ethnically influenced bias. Infact, society need not be racist in the negative sense at all to still create the outcome of racial segregation or bias. No negative decision making or intolerance need occur in peoples behaviour in order to create conditions of disadvantage for a group. It is sufficient to create positive advantage for people who are like yourself and even be tolerant of all peoples and yet still through your decision-making contribute to the marginalization of those people who are different. Is it wrong to selectively create positive advantage for people like yourself? That is a completely different question, but we all do it in some form ethnically, culturally, regionally or even genetically (such as your biological family). My main point is simply an opinion that these forms of bias have a profound influence on our behaviour and the shape of our society and that this extends into the work place and creates genuine disadvantage, unfairly or justifiably so, for visible minorities.
