Re: Social Engineering (was: Different patriarchy Model)

Gerold Firl (geroldf@sdd.hp.com)
8 Jan 1995 13:49:06 -0800

In article <D1yI4I.6nJ@sybase.com> saunders@sybase.com (Barbara Saunders) writes:
>In article <3ef3bcINN23i@hpsdlmf7.sdd.hp.com> geroldf@sdd.hp.com (Gerold Firl) writes:

>>I think that the incarceration rate disparity between blacks and other
>>races in america is a good indication that black culture has been less
>>successful at socialising individuals than other american racial
>>subcultures.

>While there may be *some truth to the core of what you say, that American
>black culture has developed along some maladapted lines in some ways,
>your simplification of issues such as three strikes which have
>really easy and obvious confounding factors, shows up your ulterior
>pure racist motivations.

If by "racist" you mean that I'm prepared to acknowledge that differences
exist between races, then yes; but I use a more restricted definition. To
me, a racist is one who adheres to a belief in a rigid distinction between
races, generally imputing a value-judgement of superior/inferior between
them, and which also exagerates the extent of the genuine differences which
do exist. I don't have any "ulterior pure racist motivations" of this sort,
though I do believe that the various races of man have some variation in
their physical characteristics.

Of course, we were discussing culture rather than physical characteristics.
And while you agree that american black culture *may* have some maladapted
features, you appear to be concerned about ensuring that no mistake is made
about assigning the blame for the origin of these features, where this
origin is firmly located elsewhere. Personally, I have very little interest
in assigning blame. I just don't think that's a useful exercise. I am more
concerned with understanding, and how that understanding can be used for
the conscious betterment of the situation. The extreme defensive posture of
reacting to any such attempt as "ulterior racism" only perpetuates the
problem. 

-- 

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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=----   Gerold Firl @ ..hplabs!hp-sdd!geroldf