I think a majority of racism is classism. It's that fraction that can perfectly well accept someone of any color who is culturally assimilated into the dominant class, but not the ones who sound, dress and think differently. To many "racists" it is the unfamiliar values that are frightening, the embedded cultural wetware algorithms, not their melanin content.
The problem with the conflation of racism and classism is that it deflects criticism of something that can be somewhat improved by the application of virtue to something that cannot. It is used in just that way, to indemnify whole classes and cultures from reproach as to character by confounding it with racist judgments by physiognomy.
Every taboo, however noble, acts as a short circuit to judgement. Taboos incubate acts and memes in their judgement-resistant shadows that could not survive the light. The taboo against racism is a good one. I think we should keep it. But the more justified the taboo, the more parasitism it can protect, and we need to stay aware of that.
The current wholesale destruction of universities, NIH, NSF, Department of Education, aid work feels like such a huge existential risk to a professional class.
I've often wondered why it is socially acceptable here or elsewhere, to make sweeping generalization about social classes. If the same remarks were made about a race, nationality or gender, it would be tabooed.
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekulakization comes to mind as an obvious example.