Reply #21: Good post but I don't see how we discuss the causes of racism

[malaise]

without including the economic aspect. Indeed I start with the justification for 'otherness'. The other was the barbarian, the other wasn't Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Anglican, whatever. The other was Irish, African, Mexican, brown, yellow, Indian, etc.

The English thought the Irish were inferior for religious regions hence they could be exploited while the English got rich.
The 'white man's burden' was their justification for exploiting every other race as they captured countries and people while setting up their capitalist enterprises.

Modern slavery had a significant economic component. Neither Britain nor the US could have become wealthy without slavery. Today the 'other' means foreigners whose governments are forced to keep wages down so that cheap labor is always available so that a few can become filthy rich while the world's poor (of all shades) live in squalor.

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