3 ms·

He is making a statement akin to a growth process: wealth and social position accumulate over time and need many generations to come to fruition in that argumen

by wjnc 9y ago

He is making a statement akin to a growth process: wealth and social position accumulate over time and need many generations to come to fruition in that argument. I think the Asian example vs A-A in the US is a counterexample to this argument.

rayiner 9y ago
Right, and african americans have had many more generarions to accumulate it compared to irish americans or asian americans, right?
- Retric 9y ago
  Only if you ignore the social components. Immigrant groups tend to create support structures that aid newer immigrants from the same group. This is most powerful for groups who don't speak the native language but still impact social norms and networking. The first wave of Asian immigrants significantly predated the civil rights movement.
  - macintux 9y ago
    > Immigrant groups tend to create support structures that aid newer immigrants from the same group. That's a very important point I hadn't considered. Success is almost always predicated on strong community and family support, something which slavery was explicitly designed to suppress.
    - dragonwriter 9y ago
      > Right, and african americans have had many more generarions to accumulate it compared to irish americans or asian americans, right? Slavery, sure, but also lots of post-slavery policy, especially Jim Crow laws in the South.
  - rayiner 9y ago
    > Only if you ignore the social components Like racism? The point is that, contrary to OP's conjecture, you can't explain this situation without accounting for racism. @kolinko's unstated premise is that there was racism, which explains why African Americans are behind despite being here so much longer than Irish or Italian Americans, but that there no longer is racism, as of the last 2-3 generations.
djtriptych 9y ago
This is just another way of saying historical racism has had no effect on present day A-A wealth. Not remotely true, not supported by any evidence, but very important for some to believe and promote.

by wjnc 9y ago

rayiner 9y ago

Right, and african americans have had many more generarions to accumulate it compared to irish americans or asian americans, right?

Retric 9y ago
Only if you ignore the social components. Immigrant groups tend to create support structures that aid newer immigrants from the same group. This is most powerful for groups who don't speak the native language but still impact social norms and networking. The first wave of Asian immigrants significantly predated the civil rights movement.
- macintux 9y ago
  > Immigrant groups tend to create support structures that aid newer immigrants from the same group. That's a very important point I hadn't considered. Success is almost always predicated on strong community and family support, something which slavery was explicitly designed to suppress.
  - dragonwriter 9y ago
    > Right, and african americans have had many more generarions to accumulate it compared to irish americans or asian americans, right? Slavery, sure, but also lots of post-slavery policy, especially Jim Crow laws in the South.
- rayiner 9y ago
  > Only if you ignore the social components Like racism? The point is that, contrary to OP's conjecture, you can't explain this situation without accounting for racism. @kolinko's unstated premise is that there was racism, which explains why African Americans are behind despite being here so much longer than Irish or Italian Americans, but that there no longer is racism, as of the last 2-3 generations.

djtriptych 9y ago

This is just another way of saying historical racism has had no effect on present day A-A wealth. Not remotely true, not supported by any evidence, but very important for some to believe and promote.