Yeah I had thought that it was (probably, in some ways or places) easier than it had ever been before with the internet and rampant unchecked capitalism. but history has many vicious twists and dark moments not recounted through time and people have almost certainly been much cheaper or sold in far greater numbers into slavery in prior centuries. so maybe we are continuing to soften up as a world shaping apex species and gradually becoming more considerate towards one another as our concept of a “tribe” or “in-group” continues to widen.