Thread by @rasmansa

What's often labeled culture is simply rational behaviors given a people's environment.

One of the reasons I often criticize the "culture" explanation for disparate racial outcomes is that it's built on the assumption that some "races" behave more irrationally compared to others within the same environment.

An assumption of cognitive inferiority in terms of decision making and behaviors in my mind can't be separated from the view that there is something inherently wrong with those "races" relative to others.

Even if the environment was created in the past and self-perpetuates, it's unreasonable to hold people to the demand that they, unlike others, must overcome the natural inertia of that culture.

So I find I'm not one to look all that kindly on the "inferior cultural behaviors" arguments. I'm even less understanding when those forwarding such views refuse to advance any policies to help reverse "cultural" patterns created by previous policy decisions.

Some have said "oh, but government broke them, so can't be trusted to help fix them. So, it's only up to them now".

Hmm, how convenient.

Note I do draw a distinction between those who see these "racial groups" as simply a collection of people they've chosen to label as X, and so all patterns are coincidental, and those who think in terms of X culture(s)