Long ago when I was still a thin man I’d reached the same conclusion: that minorities were on a plantation, and their leadership were Overseers, keeping them in line and performing the most basic tasks with no more than fleeting promises of promotions from their work. And it’s still holds true today, Party notwithstanding.
The plantation analogy is very appropriate. Its not about cultivating and harvesting crops but it is about cultivating and harvesting votes. They keep them uneducated and dependent to keep them on the plantation.