3 ms·

I'm going to risk quite a lot of fake internet points to add to your point. Bring up violent tendencies or anything to do with culture, and you'll be demonized.

I'm going to risk quite a lot of fake internet points to add to your point. Bring up violent tendencies or anything to do with culture, and you'll be demonized. Yet study after study of children who were not raised by their natural parents suggest a very strong link between parents' and childrens' behaviour - even after accounting for externalities such as the area where they live or intake of e.g. lead. I would be very, very surprised if the children of intelligent people - who typically enjoy reading from what I observe - didn't themselves enjoy reading.

esalman 3y ago
How is being raised by natural parents related to culture? Is there a particular culture which promotes or disapproves of this?
- ip26 3y ago
  The usual direction this goes is, some cultures place higher or lower relative value on parenting your kids, and some cultures are in practice rife with absent parents as a byproduct of what they value. edit: on rereading, I think the original comment about “natural parents” was trying to make a point about nature vs nurture, not about parenting.
  - rexpop 3y ago
    Some "cultures" are just organs of a larger cultural superstructure, and they don't make sense to discuss in isolation.
- AnnikaL 3y ago
  I think they meant that studying children "not raised by their natural [i.e. genetically related] parents" is a way to tell that any differences are a result of parenting or culture rather than some other factor, like genetics or location.
smogcutter 3y ago
Anyone who works with or spends time with children will tell you that all kinds of behaviors, including violence, are learned from adults and peers. Once someone starts talking about “culture” though they're usually veering toward some really vicious stereotypes and wink-nudge fig leafs that help people hold & promote racist attitudes without thinking of themselves as racist.
- dotancohen 3y ago
  > Once someone starts talking about “culture” though they're usually veering > toward some really vicious stereotypes and wink-nudge fig leafs that help > people hold & promote racist attitudes without thinking of themselves as racist. I would like to understand what you're talking about. Do you think that some people use culture as a proxy for race? Do you agree or disagree that different cultures have different values? Do you agree or disagree that culture is very closely associated by race? To be clear, my original comment did not address any of this. I was seriously discussing culture, not race. But I think that I have something to learn from someone who takes such a stance as you have written, so I don't mind if the subject drifts a bit OT.
  - smogcutter 3y ago
    What’s a specific example of culture that would clarify your meaning in this post? > Bring up violent tendencies or anything to do with culture, and you'll be demonized.
- jstarfish 3y ago
  > Anyone who works with or spends time with children will tell you that all kinds of behaviors, including violence, are learned from adults and peers. That's literally everyone in the child's vicinity. What constitutes "culture" to you, if not the values shared and imparted by the influences around you? > Once someone starts talking about “culture” though they're usually veering toward some really vicious stereotypes and wink-nudge fig leafs that help people hold & promote racist attitudes without thinking of themselves as racist. You're calling him out for stereotyping...while confidently suggesting discussion of race/culture is usually racist, and anybody daring to initiate it is just a racist in denial? I don't even agree with him but holy shit man, rethink your approach.

esalman 3y ago

How is being raised by natural parents related to culture? Is there a particular culture which promotes or disapproves of this?

ip26 3y ago
The usual direction this goes is, some cultures place higher or lower relative value on parenting your kids, and some cultures are in practice rife with absent parents as a byproduct of what they value. edit: on rereading, I think the original comment about “natural parents” was trying to make a point about nature vs nurture, not about parenting.
- rexpop 3y ago
  Some "cultures" are just organs of a larger cultural superstructure, and they don't make sense to discuss in isolation.
AnnikaL 3y ago
I think they meant that studying children "not raised by their natural [i.e. genetically related] parents" is a way to tell that any differences are a result of parenting or culture rather than some other factor, like genetics or location.

smogcutter 3y ago

Anyone who works with or spends time with children will tell you that all kinds of behaviors, including violence, are learned from adults and peers. Once someone starts talking about “culture” though they're usually veering toward some really vicious stereotypes and wink-nudge fig leafs that help people hold & promote racist attitudes without thinking of themselves as racist.

dotancohen 3y ago
> Once someone starts talking about “culture” though they're usually veering > toward some really vicious stereotypes and wink-nudge fig leafs that help > people hold & promote racist attitudes without thinking of themselves as racist. I would like to understand what you're talking about. Do you think that some people use culture as a proxy for race? Do you agree or disagree that different cultures have different values? Do you agree or disagree that culture is very closely associated by race? To be clear, my original comment did not address any of this. I was seriously discussing culture, not race. But I think that I have something to learn from someone who takes such a stance as you have written, so I don't mind if the subject drifts a bit OT.
- smogcutter 3y ago
  What’s a specific example of culture that would clarify your meaning in this post? > Bring up violent tendencies or anything to do with culture, and you'll be demonized.
jstarfish 3y ago
> Anyone who works with or spends time with children will tell you that all kinds of behaviors, including violence, are learned from adults and peers. That's literally everyone in the child's vicinity. What constitutes "culture" to you, if not the values shared and imparted by the influences around you? > Once someone starts talking about “culture” though they're usually veering toward some really vicious stereotypes and wink-nudge fig leafs that help people hold & promote racist attitudes without thinking of themselves as racist. You're calling him out for stereotyping...while confidently suggesting discussion of race/culture is usually racist, and anybody daring to initiate it is just a racist in denial? I don't even agree with him but holy shit man, rethink your approach.