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We just behave differently because we're under a different and mostly less severe set of stressors. I don't buy the explanation that "stressors" are somehow th

We just behave differently because we're under a different and mostly less severe set of stressors. I don't buy the explanation that "stressors" are somehow the cause. Here in India marriage is sky high, yet stressors of any sort are vastly higher. Further, when discussing economic incentives, it doesn't make sense to discuss lack of money. Marriage is cheaper than being single due to economies of scale (a lot like having a roommate) and having a more stable income source (assuming 2 earners, it's unlikely both will simultaneously lose their job).

michaelochurch 12y ago
I don't buy the explanation that "stressors" are somehow the cause. Here in India marriage is sky high, yet stressors of any sort are vastly higher. I was making an argument that holds within one culture. My point was that there isn't really a difference in values between different social classes in the U.S. but a difference in behavior. I was trying to refute the (classist and often racist) claim often made in the US that the poor have a lack of "family values". Change the social background and you change the values and the behavior, and all bets are off.
- yummyfajitas 12y ago
  Once we accept that culture rather than "stressors" drives behavior (as you've just done), it begs the question of whether poor Americans also have a different culture with less "family values". So your refutation seems to have failed. I'm also not sure why you even believe it's wrong, given that your post lays the premises for a perfectly valid selection theory leading to poor people having fewer family values. The specific theory: I gather from your posts that you lean towards family values. I lean towards promiscuity. How does this inform our behavior? You have a motive to earn a lot of money and take steady employment (finding and keeping a wife is expensive). I'm pretty happy with the assorted ladies of Pune University and can afford to turn down boring (possibly lucrative) projects. Between the two of us, the rich one has more family values than the poor one. Why would this effect not happen to the population at large?

michaelochurch 12y ago

I don't buy the explanation that "stressors" are somehow the cause. Here in India marriage is sky high, yet stressors of any sort are vastly higher. I was making an argument that holds within one culture. My point was that there isn't really a difference in values between different social classes in the U.S. but a difference in behavior. I was trying to refute the (classist and often racist) claim often made in the US that the poor have a lack of "family values". Change the social background and you change the values and the behavior, and all bets are off.

yummyfajitas 12y ago
Once we accept that culture rather than "stressors" drives behavior (as you've just done), it begs the question of whether poor Americans also have a different culture with less "family values". So your refutation seems to have failed. I'm also not sure why you even believe it's wrong, given that your post lays the premises for a perfectly valid selection theory leading to poor people having fewer family values. The specific theory: I gather from your posts that you lean towards family values. I lean towards promiscuity. How does this inform our behavior? You have a motive to earn a lot of money and take steady employment (finding and keeping a wife is expensive). I'm pretty happy with the assorted ladies of Pune University and can afford to turn down boring (possibly lucrative) projects. Between the two of us, the rich one has more family values than the poor one. Why would this effect not happen to the population at large?