CULTURE TRUMPS LOGIC & FACTS
Once upon a
time, I believed that with patience any situation could be improved with reason
and help. Clearly, I was wrong. Any doubt on this point is quickly dispensed by
checking on the latest news from the Middle East where our nation has been
promoting the advantages of democracy. It does sound attractive; we should try
it ourselves. But I digress, the point of this essay is to show that culture,
and not logic or facts, dominates results.
As a nation,
we're gradually coming to accept this in our international affairs but we're
even slower in recognizing how culture drives events here at home and how long
it takes for a culture to change. We still have regional differences that date
back to colonial times and earlier. This means that interactions must not rely
on culture changes but must assume that there will be none and deal with that.
So why is it
that some cultures, from the Quakers to the Chinese, seem to blend in without
too much fuss? One observation: We haven't 'helped' them very much, as opposed
to some of the 'help' we've given to Native-Americans and many Afro-Americans.
Also, the cultures of these two did not arrive here borne by people escaping
their homelands, yearning to become real Americans, anxious to fit in as
did most of our other immigrants, including my own forebears.
Back to the
Middle East, and other locales, where we've tried to introduce the benefits of democracy
and the rule of law, only to find that our money, our technology, and our
military (when it suits them) are welcome but our thinking is not. When will we
learn? They've been doing it their way for centuries; they won't change on our
account. Only help that fits into their way of thinking works. A painful
thought when their system is corrupt and tramples on human rights.
We have a
much better chance here at home of creating a harmonious society, one wherein
individuals can succeed socially and economically in accord with their ability
and effort. We need to take down the barriers: It's wrong when a black child is
born at a certain address and is doomed to fail before he/she arrives at
kindergarten--in a failing school to boot. All we have to remember is that to
affect change we either work with the relevant culture, or fail.
Note: This
is not welfare, a safety net, caring for the homeless etc. All of which are
necessary and good as long as such programs are well designed and efficiently
administered--particularly with respect to preventing fraud and the development
of a permanent underclass. Programs aimed at creating equality of opportunity
are a separate matter and should not be left in the hands of welfare
administrators. Bureaucrats love to conflate the two, creating
confusion and inefficiency. Cultures
don't need to change, but they have always modified in our country as
individuals reacted to opportunities for a better life.
NOTICE: Class
Rules, my new novel, is now available as an e-book on Amazon and in other
formats. Joe Bakewell
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