Toby,

"The underclass is predominantly non-white while the newspapers, TV, professional and leadership positions are almost exclusively white."???

You're overstating it.

While I would agree that tends to be true for the business sector in the DR, I strongly disagree about the other categories you list. I have met many of the print journalists in the DR, and a large number of them would not be considered white nor claim to be. Professionals? I have met many and I also taught many, and my experience is that there is a pretty representative spread of the Dominican population in most of the professions [possible exceptions: high-priced medical specialities and high-powered corporate lawyers, although I can think of at least one in the latter category who is among the DR's best known and he is not white by any stretch of the imagination]. Leadership positions "almost exclusively white"???? Have you taken a good hard look at the President's picture lately? [http://www.presidencia.gov.do/perfil.htm] Or that of the president of the Dominican Senate? Or for that matter, a huge portion of the Congress? Or the Mayor of Santo Domingo?

I'm sorry, but while I can agree with many of your other statements, on these you're off-base.

And comparing the DR to apartheid-era South Africa is flat-out nonsense. Regards, Keith