Can this incident be defined as racism?

In this scenario, I would say it's more about insulting that one person rather than the whole race. Just to insult that person and get under their skin to annoy them, not necessarily racism.

But then, I can see how someone else would interpret it as racism because if they don't know this guy and he says something like that, then they would very well assume that the man is racist because they don't know what he is really like. All they know about him is that he said something very bad in regards to a certain person's race. (I hope I'm being clear enough here, it makes sense in my head lol).

I'm not defending people who, in the heat of the moment, go and say something like that. Even if it's a not well thought out idea and an acknowledged mistake, it would still be a bad thing to do. But I don't think it would be necessarily racist.

I don't think if the person wouldn't normally use the name then he wouldnt use it in an argument at a bar. If he were to use the name though, it wouldn't mean that he is a racist person. He probably saw it as a cheap shot to make the other person mad. So I would define that as a hostile situation and a racist comment. We all tend to say things that we don't mean when we are angry.

Its to annoy the opponent. It's a part of the fighting process.What actually happens is, a person who had had neutral feelings towards a particular race might develop hatred for that race after having a fight with a member of that race. And this hatred, he passes on to his children and so on....Also, each fighter believes he/she is right and the opponent is wrong and so their race is superior and the opponent's race is inferior. So, it's a way of reminding the opponent of their standing("standing" according to the name caller). So, I conclude such actions as racist.

The use of racist terms, whether or not they are used "normally", is indeed racist.

I would not go so far as to call it hatred. Anger is just anger.

I hesitate to use the word ignorance. A truly ignorant person wouldn't know about race, as racial distinctions as well as racial judgments have to be taught. I would call it stupid, though, because the racist has actually embraced such a conveluted and useless ideology.

in arguments, people always say things to hurt the other person as much as they can.so you'll use words that you don't even use or think of in normal circumstances.So i'll say no.

i witnessed a mother/daughter argument on the bus the other day, and the daughter told her mum she hated her for not letting her go out that saturday,i am sure she didn't really mean it

Could be racism - in the heat of anger sometimes true feelings or opinions come out.

I think it is. These words are connected to a very ugly past in history. People use them to reflect on bad moments in history.

nope. not in that context. they know words can hurt.