I think that George W. Bush wouldn't handle painsticks at all well. Ouching and squirming, you know.

Agreed about non-humans in ST universe, with the exception of Betazoids,who are basically just human. You see the same thing with fantasy elves and orcs. (For years I've had a notion of an orc tragedy-- an orc who wants nothing more than to wear a sequinned jacket and play cocktail piano.)

I think it's an exhibition of human tendency to racism.