A short summary of our time

Technology is in a race with foolish and foolish seems to be winning

Symptoms vs. Causes of Racial Disparity

We can’t solve lung cancer with cough suppressants, and we can’t solve the racial inequity problem with affirmative action. Opening up spots at NASA and Yale for a handful of racial minorities might (if we assume no talent mismatch problem) benefit a handful of people, but the tens of millions of others in minority groups won’t be helped even if elite institutions can pat themselves on the back for alleviating a cough. The dogma that all racial disparities are caused by racism and discrimination underlies most of our action on the racial advancement front these days, and yet it’s obviously misguided. Indian Americans have better outcomes (especially on income) than do white Americans, and since this clearly isn’t the result of racism/discrimination, we must turn elsewhere for explanation. Culture is the most likely culprit and if there are cultural problems (lung cancer) killing the patient (poor white performance relative to Indian Americans), then getting to the cultural problem (opioid addiction, family breakdown, honor culture, devaluation of education) is the only solution. A palliative to suppress the cough might make a doctor feel better, but it won’t do anything for the patient. Can we call “malpractice” on those prescribing similar “cures” when it comes to racial issues?