If I see a native Canadian beat the shit outta someone.....I'm gonna avoid using the word 'savage' or the phrase 'savagely beat the guy'. I wouldn't be as careful to avoid using the term if it was a white guy beating someone up. It's not hard to do....and it ensures that someone doesn't ascribe any sort of racist intention to what I'm saying.

I suppose I could claim that I'm not using 'savage' in a racist way in a situation like that....but why create any doubt? After all....we say words to be heard....not for the sake of saying them. So it matters how other people interpret what we say regardless of our intentions.