Have been thinking more about some of the comments made by @bronzeagemantis on the Portuguese and their strategy of creating a mulatto middle-man caste during the colonial period. I have little knowledge of Africa but have some observations of this phenomenon in Asia...
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In both Malacca and Macau (and Goa) we can see that in recent years the “Portuguese” caste have dwindled in fortune. In all three areas, many have migrated to the west in recent decades and those that remain are normally found at the lower economic tiers.
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What I find interesting is how this middle-manager caste has declined in each area following the departure of the colonial government. The cause is obvious: without the influence of the colonial power, there is little to no need for an intermediary caste.
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Once the benefits of speaking a ruling power’s language have been removed (and the cultural closeness) the middle-managers have little to offer and are quickly dominated by the ethnic majority. They are either submerged into the majority or hold on as dying relics of a former age
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(This is equally true in business. Any intermediary agent such as an estate agent, headhunter or exporter is in a highly precarious position should the buyer and the vendor decide to just contact each other directly)
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I believe it is true that in life as in business, nature abhors a middle-man. As soon as the need for a middle-man is no longer there, then there is little goodwill extended. This is true of the mulatto populations: Useless to the ex-colonial power, mistrusted by the new majority
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Our current middle-manager caste who are praised and paraded by our elites should be mindful of this. If the day ever comes when the side they strive so hard to promote ever does become a majority power, they might find themselves resented for their ties to the previous majority.pic.twitter.com/4xMJEexrSA
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Remember the above when exhorted by propaganda to put politics before passion when selecting partners. When sides are drawn, it is inevitably those who straddle the fence who are the first to suffer.
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End of conversation
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