It's hardly news that the United States is a racist- and, some even say, white supremacist, country. Well, it's with deep sadness that I inform you that the problem spreads wider than you may realize.

This sense of white superiority is not only domestic. It does not go away when international issues are at stake. Allow me to lay out a few examples.

First, consider American companies' willingness to utilize sweatshop labor around the world. To knowingly exploit human beings in such a way- paying near-starvation wages, threatening and acting violently, forbidding unionization, disregarding safety, etc.- implies an intense sense of superiority. This is practically a textbook representation of dehumanization and you largely see it happening in countries and communities made up of people of color. Were it to be revealed that a major company was using sweatshop labor in a predominantly white country, the public outcry would be significantly louder.

Next, recall America's attitudes about discrimination. The most negative immigration discourse is saved for immigrants from Latin America and South America. Immigrants from these locations are denounced as criminals who come to steal jobs. Meanwhile, little negative attention is paid to immigrants- even those who are undocumented- from white-majority countries. They are never racially profiled once they arrive here, either. There is an assumption that they "belong" here.

Let's also consider some more subtle forms of racism. One extremely common one sometimes occurs when white Americans visit another country, often in Africa, on service or mission trips. I have absolutely nothing against such trips; however, problems arise when such trips are discussed in a "white savior" manner, or when white Americans post photos of themselves with members of the communities they visit in a way that glamorizes what is depicted as their heroism. They can sometimes make use of people of color to seem both moral and superior with insufficient regard for the individuals with whom they work.

Yes, American society is racist. And that racism does not stop beyond the domestic level.