I can present myself as an accidental foil of racism, though the loud one may or may not have thought himself as such. Once upon a time as a youngster I remarked that a young black American, a quiet lad (like me) had a Scottish name - Campbell.
Oh dear, his boss, ex. navy (big, white and very loud), took that lead to rip the pish about his ancestry and his mother. All good banter like? Maybe. Wee Campbell kept quiet.
I met young Campbell a year or two later and feck me, he had been working out. Jeeez, impressive, but I still feel bad. Was that partly me?
I felt awkward at the time, but learning more about how Scottish names were taken takes me back to the incident and I feel even worse. That's why I remember it.
I'm sure Glasgow named Jamaica St. proud in the trade and wealth created (Jamaica was worth more to Britain than the lost American colonies), but I'd be afraid to go and ask folk over there what they think about us.