Interesting theory. My strong suspicion is that racism and sexism of the past are either so alien as to be invisible or so blatantly unacceptable that they warrant nothing more than a little eye rolling and self congratulation that we're better now. They're almost quaint.

Modern sexism and racism, on the other hand, remind us of everything that's still wrong now. No veneer of nostalgia is going to excuse even one tiny particle.

However, I agree that the romantic comedy specifically is a genre that has taken a dive into the toilet some time in the last couple of decades.