I ask this because I had a heated discussion with a friend where I said that divisions around race aren't as deep seated in the UK as they are in the US. We have protective factors here like the NHS, welfare state etc that don't appear to discriminate based on ethnic background (although admittedly flawed systems).

I've got friends in the US and you can literally not talk about race without it descending into all out war, whereas we seem to be able to discuss it with more civility. In that sense, the UK seems to have done a better job at integrating multiple cultures. I dunno.

Thoughts?