[Cronos]

Nearly everywhere the British (what folks really mean historically as WHITEY) settled and colonized and exploited and oppressed is now much better off because of said exploitation and oppression.

Nope. Take the Indian continent for example -- BEfore the Brits (in 1800), they accounted for 25% of world trade and GDP. AFter the Brits (in 1950) they accounted for less than 1%. The Brits set up a monopoly over there and crushed the native industries. The largest famines were under British rule (as was the Irish Potato famine). The Brits were better than the French, yes, but that ain't saying too much.

[Torie]

Actually, the British industrial revolution crushed India's economy. It could no longer compete in the manufacture of textiles. Britian forged India into a nation which the rule of law and a democratic system that has survived. That is a huge achievement. All India needed to do was dump the Fabian Socialist British ethos at the time of its independence, and it is now rapidly doing that, and taking off economically. Cybertrade of course helps a lot too.