This! The marginalized people who were always on the receiving end of this behavior, from police brutality, to sexism, to homo- and trans-phobia, have always seen America's real face, sans masks! The only people who didn't see it, were able to ignore it, or delude themselves into thinking it didn't exist were those it never directly affected, and they were able to successfully gaslight everyone else it thinking the same.

America was always like this but since it wasn't aimed at the middle class white Boomers who benefited from it, towed the party line, and followed all the rules, people were able to act surprised when they mask slipped, and they saw the diseased core underneath.