It was actually another of your expressions, completely "normal".

Yes, it was completely normal, because using that word for black people was completely normal. It was normal - and probably didn't offend many people, if anyone - and it was racist.

There's a line in A Mon Like Thee where the long-lost brother reveals he's "as rich as any Jew". I'm sure the attitude that phrase expresses was normal & unremarkable in the culture that song came from, and it may never have caused any offence to anyone. It's still an anti-semitic attitude.