It took several decades before they [Irish immigrants to America] fully settled down and bridged the achievement gap with WASP Americans. But bridged it was. By the 1950's studies showed Irish-Americans at the high end of the economic spectrum. . . . Contrast that with the position of America's blacks. After half a century and trillions, yes, trillions of dollars spent trying to 'bridge the achievement gap' between blacks and Whites the gap today remains as wide as ever. Meanwhile blacks' ancestral homelands are without exception poverty-stricken hell-holes which are getting worse rather than better. Despite an avalanche of Western aid."The same was said about the Irish." The Irish Savant, 9/4/19.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
But remember the Prime Directive: Don't "think white."
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2 comments:
According to Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams, two men I admire enormously, blacks made ENORMOUS gains after the end of the Civil War; staggering gains. And it came to a screeching halt when the Left passed the so-called Great Society and the - IMHO deliberately created - "ghetto culture" came to be.
That same culture of utter corruption and celebration of what you and I would call ugliness is present in Africa in general. Two examples:
* A friend of mine wants to do his PhD thesis in Economics on African development. I send him articles. Article after article after article describes the tribalism (also discussed repeatedly by Peter Grant), the superstitions, and the raw corruption. It requires, among other things, the Rule of Law to advance, something Africa does not have.
* My late father, without going into identifying-level detail, knew many African businessmen. One day, discussing the AIDS epidemic sweeping through many nations there, he asked what's going on. He was told that sleeping around was just another activity. When he asked about using condoms and "keeping it in your pants" otherwise, he was told that condoms are only for when you're with a prostitute (not, apparently, your friend's wife) and how dare he suggest that restraint be expected.
Look, I believe with all my heart in MLK Jr.'s dream. That doesn't mean I'm blind. Skin color breeds true thanks to generations of evolutionary pressures for melanin (or a lack thereof). It is absolutely understandable that intelligence as you and I consider it is not a survival trait when putting food on the table, surviving intrigue, etc., are the priorities... again, over generations.
My (immigrant) wife, in her exposure to blacks, said "They still have slave genes.
Great comment. Thanks.
Having spent my early years in southern Africa I came to America with zero animosity or disrespect for blacks. A liberal (very) friend assumed that my negative views of American blacks was because of my having spent those early years in the evilest of evil areas of the world. I laughed and said my views are entirely the result of my later American experience and observations.
I'm a firm believer in the importance of culture to guide individuals. In most head-to-head contests between my personal judgment and cultural norms I would have been better advised to adhere to the latter. Thus, there's a premium on understanding and preserving culture AND not assuming that the transplantation of one into another is NECESSARILY a good thing.
Extremely improved transportation in Africa as well as Western dogooderism have facilitated the spread of AIDS and the explosion of population, respectively. What might have been cultures that worked for various locales in Africa in older times have proved to be poisonous, though I hate to say that vile beliefs in witchcraft, salutary properties of albino flesh, sex with 13yos, and penis (real) amulets are acceptable components of any workable culture. The conclusion that African cultures are basically disfunctional is unavoidable. Possible exception being the Zulu as to whom I have very positive views because of King Buthelezi of a few decades ago.
That's an interesting point about post-CW black progress. Living in difficult circumstances but not burdened by hideous white "concern" was far healthier for blacks. I just read that Jamaican black slaves were required to feed and house themselves and this bred independent thinking . . . and contempt for American blacks. No doubt about it. Dependency and all its related attitudes makes for contemptible people.
I think an anti-don't-think=white campaign would do far more good than "a mind is a terrible thing to waste" (how do those minds get wasted?) and "head start" nonsense. Get down to the basic attitudes and there's hope for blacks to prosper in America. Short of that and you have the present diseased atmosphere where we dance around truth (it's the guns, it's white racism, it's white privilege). Pastor Manning has the story.
I believe that any kind of a struggle for survival is healthy. If dealing with political intrigue is your key to survival, you'd better be a keen observer of human nature and agriculture requires some smarts above just throwing seeds into a furrow of earth. A too-easy environment is probably ennervating whereas fighting off polar bears and planning ahead for winter no doubt make for sharper minds.
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