That Conversation

I hate Asians.
This comment was recently stated in my presence. What the actual fuck, right? Who says this? Apparently a young man I have known for three and a half years does.
The comment completely caught me off-guard. I've never been confronted by such blatant racism before. It took everything in my power not to lose my shit on this person. Instead, I asked:
Why do you feel that way?
They scare me.
Why?
They're smarter than me.
I didn't say this next part. It occurred only in my head as I struggled to figure out the next step in our conversation.
Holy shit. You're kidding me right? Because you're insecure about your intelligence you are going to say something so outrageously racist? Asia is the largest continent. Not only is it the largest, it is the most densely populated continent, too. What the actual fuck? What do I say to this so that I am both an ally and a model for civil discourse when I really just want to scream, "Get out of my sight you racist motherfucker!"
This would have been the least appropriate response given the circumstances.
So I said:
Being afraid is ok. We're all afraid of something and they can be irrational at times. When we find ourselves feeling afraid, we have to ask ourselves why we feel that way. For example, if you came across Asians doing something you saw as intelligent in nature, you have to go through some cognitive behavior therapy. You have to ask yourself: Are they doing anything to frighten me? Are they doing anything to threaten me? If they are doing neither of those things, there is no reason to be afraid. The more you do this, the easier it will become to release that fear and hate.
He persisted and felt the need to be clear that he's all right with Asians. He can sit next to them and hang out with them. But they freak him out. He's got friends who are Asian. He can be around them, but they scare him.
Gah! He was using his friend as a prop to justify his racism. How can you be friends with someone when you hate their whole race? I really wanted to slap some sense into this person, but instead I said:
Do you realize that your fear is based on a stereotype? 
He stammered some other nonsense that made me want to slap my hand to my forehead and scream.
I don't know how many times I said the "fear is based on a stereotype" bit, but damn he kept at it with trying to explain himself. I was in shock as his explanations just kept digging him deeper into the racist hole he started for himself.
Do you realize that your comment and your view on Asians says more about you than it does about them?
I really have no idea what he spewed in response. It just became so much racist-laden bullshit that I couldn't process anymore of it.
It's been four days and I think I'm still in shock.I have no idea if he understands how racist that comment was. Is. The next time I see him, I have to somehow pretend that I don't see him differently. But I do. How can I not? He is an absolute and unapologetic racist. The fact that he felt emboldened enough to say such an appalling thing is just symptomatic of the state of this country right now. Hate groups feel at ease to walk and talk and throw their despicable vitriol around for anyone and everyone to see. Hate crimes are rising. Elected officials are being vilified because they are women of color.
It needs to stop. We need to do better. I hope we can.