Hi there :) i indeed don't use those mechanics. But not using them does not make them not a part of the game. I'm not saying that the act of playing the game makes you a slaver or rapist, just that the designers put those mechanics into the game. Given that those mechanics exist and that people use them the experience of playing the game involves those mechanics whether or not I am participating in their use.

I am not necessarily opposed to having slavery, sexual exploitation or violence or religious bigotry in a game. But as a developer I am arguing that we as developers should be thinking very carefully about what mechanics we put in games and why. If you include slavery and it's the optimal choice in the game then you are making a statement. Do you believe that actual slavery is ok? Probably not... are you normalizing it in a way that is a small part of why we are still where we are as a planet in terms of racial equality? I think so.