I fully agree with the study and completely disagree with people's attitudes of "well, I'm just gonna call racism for what it is."
Should you have to put up with racist people or racist comments? Of course not.
Does a lot of this racism come from a place of hate? Of course it does.
But, if the goal is to actually reduce these negative attitudes from people on the right, then we should be open minded to all possible solutions, including swallowing our pride and taking time to talk to people, empathize with them, etc.
If that really works, then doing it DOESN'T mean that you think they're a special butterfly that needs your special attention in a special safe space. It's just the pragmatic thing to do.
Why shouldn't we call it what it is?
Because the goal is not to shame people into submission, it's to get them on our side. It seems a lot of people care more about winning the argument and not about advancing the conversation in a positive place. Dropping the mic on a racist feels real good, but if that makes him less likely to agree with you; then what was the point?