Maybe this surge of bigotry is the rat knowing it's cornered.

Is there a surge of bigotry right now?

There's certainly more video evidence of bigotry, which is welcome sunlight on the bacteria, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that bigotry is at an all time low in the US. Go watch The 40 Year Old Virgin. There's a scene where Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan are insulting each other back and forth with gay jokes. That was a mere 10 years ago, and I doubt the same joke would be funny today. The default insults when I was in school in the 90s were "fag" and "retard". I don't know how kids pick on each other today, but based on the frequency I hear those words now--and the scorn they normally draw--I have to assume that times have changed.

There's certainly a long way to go, especially with racism against black people specifically, but I think there's an awakening to their plight, not a surge of bigotry. We see a lot more of it, because people care more now, so it makes the news. I would say that things look bad, because they are, but heightened awareness can only make it better.