[From article]
Since the 1960s and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, Washington has spent some $22trillion on 80 programsattempting to uplift the bottom rungs of American society.
[. . .]
The reasons for the lack of progress are many, but let me suggest one impediment that has drawn scant attention: a clear-eyed scientific analysis of the problem is off-limits lest inquiry somehow “offend” powerful political interests. Imagine if modern medicine functioned this way -- doctors would be outlawed from explaining one’s illness by criticizing personal habits or hygiene.
[. . .]
A perfect illustration of this stifling recently occurred when Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) in a town hall meeting opined that inner-city poverty might have something to do with men there not valuing the culture of work (a similar ruckus occurred in 2012 when Newt Gingrich criticized the work habits of young blacks). Ryan’s claim is certainly plausible given the mixed result of federal programs to build job skills among the poor.
[. . .]
The congressman then did what every public figure does when caught violating a taboo -- he tried to weasel out.
[. . .]
Congressman Ryan’s tribulations also convey an indisputable message to others -- avoid frankness on racial matters if being forthright can be judged offensive to anyone who owns a public soapbox. And being well-intentioned is no defense. If asked why blacks academically lag behind whites and Asians, just reaffirm the orthodoxy -- the legacy of slavery, bad teachers, dilapidated schools, and, most of all, white racism. Hard to imagine any public figure getting into trouble for making this flimsy, unscientific argument.
http://americanthinker.com/2014/07/when_it_comes_to_race_why_worry_about_facts.html
July 14, 2014
When it Comes to Race, Why Worry About Facts?
By Robert Weissberg
No comments:
Post a Comment