Passive Genocide ?

I come from a white world. For a long time, I bought into the notion of the "white oppressor." I now believe that the very notion of the "white oppressor" is a form of scapegoating, which helps maintain ethnic "leaders" in a position of power over their own communities.

Slave trade existed before the new world was discovered. Inter-tribal wars have existed forever, and there have always been winners and losers. Losers have been kept in submission (or killed), and when cultures collided, losers could be traded like merchandise. One tribe subdued another and could reap profits by selling their conquests; this practice was accelerated when advanced tools of submission are introduced. White men did not scour Africa herding slaves, they traded guns and other goods to local "leaders" for slaves (please correct me if I'm wrong here). This is not to minimize the treatment of those who went from being prisoners-of-war to slave-trade merchandise.

Fast forward to modern San Francisco. There are pockets of the city where building codes are not enforced and overcrowding exists. Where is this ? Primarily in areas dominated by new immigrants -- the Asian and Mexican communities. The city takes a hands-off approach, letting the communities take care of themselves in their own cultural ways. What does this mean ? It means that legal and safety standards taken for granted by long-time citizens do not exist in these communities. The standards are those of the communities from which the community has emigrated (or slightly better?).

What groups will have the most casualties when a large earthquake strikes ? The communities where building codes and overcrowding health standards are not enforced. And who will be blamed ? Ultimately, the city will be blamed for not enforcing building codes, but the city is *not* enforcing codes as a "favor" to ethnic landlords. Some building and health codes are seen as racist, because they make living costs higher, and disproportionately affect ethnicities living in less expensive, substandard conditions. The challenge is drawing the line between safety standards that truly save lives, and safety standards that are merely additional burdens on the poor and ethnic groups. (Republicans would argue that all standards are a burden on free enterprise). Higher density living can be safe with appropriate ventilation and escape routes. Lack of enforcement in poor neighborhoods ultimately means the poor do not benefit from laws designed to protect everyone.