Mercy, I misread you. Yes, culture is everything, and I think you're correct that liberals resist the notion. They're into the whole diversity of culture thing, but I'm not sure they evaluate the benefits of one culture over another. Diversity itself is the end game, not excellence.
The success of the Harlem Children's Zone is all about establishing a school and community culture based on rules, structure and high expectations. These kids are given a roadmap up and out of their circumstances. Liberals err, I've noticed, in turning reasons for bad behavior into excuses, and this is at play in the sorry public school system we now have.
The US is still in the process of becoming secular. The Judeo-Christian heritage and common culture that came with it is still being torn apart and rendered impotent. I view it as a great social experiment, and have no idea how it will all end. Out of wedlock births among African-Americans is 80% and is 70% among Hispanics. I think it's up to 40% among caucasians. It's an uphill battle to raise kids this way. It takes two working parents just to put bread on the table.
The decline of innovation in this country is, I think, tied to this great social change. Unfortunately, too many people who have the income, the smarts, and lives in order can't be bothered to have children. So we're sort of "averaging down" in terms of the quality of the overall culture and the people who are coming out of it. |
