Their is no excuse to spew racial abuse/profanities and never will be. It absolutely disgusts me whenever I see it in not only football, but just life in general. However, I do think a lot of time that the people who can really change things tend to bury their heads in the sand rather than face the issues head on and do something about it. Racism to me is more than just about saying a certain few words/statements in isolated incidents (rather those involved sports or not) but its about the constant stripping of a person over a period of time.
I think the issues of racism in football is reflected across all aspects of society.
And lastly, to be racist at all over a sport is moronic, disgusting, and whatever word you want to use. Sport is about entertaining us, not life.