Hi, Scully, Thanks for your thoughtful response. I’m not sure how you can say that “no one is in control of these systems.” If NO one is in control, there’s anarchy, right? Yes, control is tenuous. China wouldn’t be repressive if it weren’t. But those in power in China work damn hard to make sure they stay in power. Throughout Western history, power has concentrated in the hands of (primarily) white men. Otherwise, why would Theodore Roosevelt have urged white women to have more babies? Why would scientists in the 19th and early 20th centuries have contorted logic to “prove” that Northern Europeans are inherently superior to Mediterranean people, and, yes, black folks?

As I’ve looked into this issue, I don’t encounter white people who feel edified or flattered by being told that their skin color was a factor in their success. If anything, they find it offensive. They’ll claim they got ahead solely on their own merits. But only white people can afford to pretend that race isn’t one signficant factor in who finds success in this system.