So, I had a conversation with my sisters husband about politics, he gifted me a book (the power of geography) , which he claimed to be leftist..... because it merely mentioned colonialism. He framed that as anti-white racism and how we, the 'whites', should be proud of our 'accomplishments' and how it's badass that 'we' conquered the entire world.
He then further went on to mention that after colonialism 'ended' the natives didn't know how to do anything, because they kicked the smart whites out.
What the hell do I do about this nutjob? Is there any hope for him? Should I even try to convince him that he's an absolutely moron?
It sounds like as if he has an inferiority complex; his esteem is based on the supposed achievements of others. He is wilfully uneducated and proud of his pseudo-science.
If he is genuinely interested in further reading there is a whole host of books he can be introduced to (How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, A People's History, The Jakarta Method, Darker Nations or more liberal books such as Inglorious Empire, Confessions of an Economic Hitman or 23 Things You Didn't know About Capitalism to name a few). You could even potentially start with the fact that you are not a liberal?
However, you are up against an onslaught of propaganda to justify white supremacism. Relatively recent developments suggest that rest of the world may be slowly turning off that tap of superexploitation so expect to see a lot of coping and seething.
If he has made statements which have frustrated you because you instinctively knew were wrong but could not provide an immediate retort then take it as an oppurtunity for further reading and exploration.
Please take care of your mental health. In practice it will be challenging to persuade him off his delusions so you may want to invest emotionally and in time elsewhere.
/edits for clarity
Addendum - a word about privilege - one cannot choose one's ancestors (biological or cultural) but one can choose not to defend their barbarism, and instead sincerely attempt to understand the world as it is to better it; guilt leading to empty nihilism is useless.