Posted on 10/05/2015 2:18:46 PM PDT by jazusamo
The prevailing social dogma of our time — that economic and other disparities among groups are strange, if not sinister — has set off bitter disputes between those who blame genetic differences and those who blame discrimination.
Both sides ignore the possibility that groups themselves may differ in their orientations, their priorities and in what they are prepared to sacrifice for the sake of other things.
Back in the early 19th century, an official of the Russian Empire reported that even the poorest Jews saw to it that their daughters could read, and their homes had at least ten books. This was at a time when the vast majority of the population of the Russian Empire were illiterate.
During that same era, Thomas Jefferson complained that there was not a single bookstore where he lived. In Frederick Law Olmsted's travels through the antebellum South, he noted that even plantation owners seldom had many books.
But in mid-18th century Scotland, even people of modest means had books, and those too poor to buy them could rent books from lending libraries, which were common throughout Scottish towns.
There is no economic determinism. People choose what to spend their money on, and what to spend their time on. Cultures differ.
On a personal note, as a child nearly nine years old, I was one of the many blacks who migrated from the South to Harlem in the 1930s.
Although New York had public libraries, elite public high schools and free colleges of high quality, I had no idea what a public library was, or what an elite high school was, and the thought of going to college never crossed my mind.
(Excerpt) Read more at creators.com ...
Part III was awesome! He’s going to get into big trouble for telling the TRUTH about various ‘cultures’ in that one, LOL!
LOL! I’d bet your boyfriend doesn’t give a hoot. ;-)
At this point it seems that the entire American culture has been infected.
Wouldn’t it be a treat to meet Thomas Sowell and share a coffee break with him?
It sure would!
I’m glad you liked this series my FRiend, I was sure you would.
He does tell the unvarnished truth and for doing that he’s basically a pariah in much of the black community, especially the Sharptons, Jacksons, etc.
Right and all those horrid congressmen and women.
ALL of them continue to get reelected by keeping their constituents on welfare, food stamps and every other government program imaginable. Poverty and dependency equal votes.
It’s criminal. LBJ was evil and correct when he said, “I’ll have those niggers voting democrat for the next 200 years.”
It’s a crying shame that his evil words aren’t on a statue of him in front of every damn public school.
You nailed it with LBJ.
What an evil and corrupt excuse for a politician and as a man.
Thanks for posting. Always a pleasure to read Sowell.
Part One: “Human beings differ in what they want to do.” (We are free to do what we want.)
Part Two: “All the while we had the power to vote them out. Even now, many are too absorbed in their electronic devices to know or care.” (We should be careful about our votes.)
Part Three: “There is no economic determinism. People choose what to spend their money on, and what to spend their time on.” (We are free to do what we want.)
Summary. Sowell is stating the obvious and asking us to be more responsible with our kids, our culture and our votes. I hope he would agree with me that the Lord should be the center of our lives.
Amen to that.
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