Spanish barbers were the Rodney Dangerfields of the Renaissance—they could get no respect, no respect at all.
At least that’s the impression given by the historical record. For example, in 15th-century Toledo, Christian barbers lobbied the city to restrict where Jewish barbers could set up practice, keeping the city square for themselves. Two centuries later, in Mexico City, Spanish barbers tried the same tactic to prevent Chinese barbers from setting shop in the best parts of town. Two centuries apart, in two different continents, barbers from two different ethnic minorities outcompeted them.
Those two anecdotes, though chosen by their cuteness, refute one of the main doctrines of modern leftism, that of so-called white privilege. What 15th and 17th century Spanish barbers learned applies today; pinkish skin won’t protect you from competition. The Christian barbers of Toledo had a hard time competing against Jewish barbers because the Jewish barbers were better; they offered a similar service at a lower price. The ethnically Spanish barbers of Mexico City had it worse; the Chinese barbers of that time were the best in the world, offering services such as teeth cleaning—“barbers” at that time also practiced dentistry and surgery—a technique that was unknown outside of their guild. The Chinese barbers offered a better service at a lower price and worked longer hours than their ethnically Spanish competition. No wonder the Spanish barbers asked for protection.
The same pattern has occurred all over the World, through all of human history. Politically powerful majorities use their power to try to squash despised minorities, and usually fail. Say, in the Ottoman Empire, Jews and Armenians were, on average, better educated and wealthier than the Muslim majority. The Chinese in Vietnam are, and were, wealthier than the ethnic Vietnamese. Japanese industrialists in 19th-century China out-competed the Chinese. The Chinese in America are wealthier than the allegedly-privileged white majority. Russian immigrants (many of them Jewish, I notice in passing), tend to grow wealthier than native-born whites. Indian immigrants are wealthier than anyone else.
Pinkish skin won’t protect you from competition.
