You forgot, but I wrote about it a page or two ago. I clarify that in the modern interpretation, racism is precisely the offensive or humiliating relationship between people on the basis of race. In itself, unequal treatment is not considered racism, i.e. if you just think all blacks are stupid, but this does not affect your social relations in any way - these are your personal beliefs, not racism.
Of course, now (once again, oh) some are trying to equate these two concepts, but I can't call it a smart idea.
And yes, I also think it's stupid to use Loroi as an example. They are practically a race of humans, at least in terms of psychophysical reactions. The mere fact that Alex (and the reader) is able, without special training, to read their body language, understand thinking and correctly interpret reactions is already a very peculiar signal, and our physiological similarity even did makes this issue out of the question for discussion.
It's just that Liron, creating Loroi, took a modern human from somewhere and completely copied the behavioral basis, and even psychophysiology was almost completely transferred, along the way making a few cosmetic edits.