ABSTRACT
The process of creating arti¿cial differences to control others for personal gain is greatly supplemented by seeking out groups of people with some actual differences. Women were most likely the ¿rst group of humans identi¿ed in this manner and for this purpose. Eventually groups of people from other geographical locations were sought out: people that looked different from their conquerors. Both women and dark skinned people were considered not human by some groups of White people/men during certain periods in history. False, decontextualized, and greatly distorted images, known as stereotypes, are used to maintain the lower status of differentiated groups over time. It is not known exactly when this process began in the world in general with humans, but we know that conquest and enslavement continue to this day. That is, people who are different than people from dominant groups (in the West typically being White men) in their appearances and ways of living, are denigrated and subsequently used as free or low cost labor so that dominant groups may live extravagant, high cost lives.
