"Does being dark matter?"

The question is a tough one because when I read 'dark' I think different in the context of the question.

When I was young many decades ago, people with physical challenges of various sorts were perceived to be very different in that they were not seen as 'complete' humans. It took years and years for enough of society to appreciate that all beings have humanity, spirit, soul, and all beings have an inalienable right to be treated with dignity. However, laws are not sufficient to change the treatment people receive from others. Schools have been awesome in that regard: having special needs kids interact with peers. Acceptance is not automatic, but acceptance does come eventually. The acknowledgement that public buildings should be accessible for people in wheel chairs was important because it then allowed inclusion and exposure and eventually enough familiarity to produce acceptance. That is important.

When people are 'allowed' to be strangers in their own country, they will be strangers. When the decisions are being made, and you (whoever you are) do not have a seat at the table nor a voice in the process, well--how would that make you feel?

Ghettos are a normal initial phenomenon when large groups of people move to another country. A study I read many years ago show that in the City of Montreal there were districts that contained say Jews who had newly come to Canada. As they developed an economic viability within the greater culture surrounding them, they moved from the district they lived in and sought better housing in more up-scale neighbourhoods. As the old district emptied, the next group would move in. (The group that did was Greek. And now they too have moved on to other areas.)

It is natural to seek others who speak your initial language, share your cultural experiences, eat the same food. After three generations, that all changes, and sassimilation because a fact of life.

So, that prompts a question that ties to the threads on poverty and affirmative action: If a country is ghetto-ized for longer than three generations, is that country practising prejudice or is the practise so institutionalized that only those at the bottom of the pile--those with the least voice/influence--know they are there?

Does being dark matter? Yes, IMO, and the reasons it still does after six or seven generations raises a few ugly questions. Who has not been invited to the table, and why have they not been invited?