Hahahahhaha. I was wondering how long it would take someone to twig that the Arctic contained no penguins. I did consider calling it the Antarctic circular but I thought the general populace were more familiar with the Arctic circle than it's lattitudinal compatriot - so I went with it... in the vague hope that the prevalance of marine ornithologists would be minimal. So far it paid off.... so far.

What you've said is broadly true - and you're right, white people generally do have it good wherever they go... but that's broadly about wealth control and I think it's going to change in the next fifty years. I think, as a general rule though, there are complex things playing together of which skin colour is one part. A wealthy black woman in Nairobi might be significantly better off than a white homosexual man in Russia. Both of them are likely better off than a poverty stricken Indian family. That family in turn may be better off (in some senses) than a white traveller child going through the British care system.

The current drive towards group identification allows broad brush strokes and trends but it doesn't really capture the essence and complexity of the human condition. If we want to relegate racism to the dustbin of history we really have to work on viewing other people as individuals and doing so with an open mind and compassion. That's pretty much the only way it's going to end.