All Cultures Are Not Equal

Two law school profs have written a short but profound piece of social criticism for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Their basic argument: the widely-shared bourgeois culture of the late 1940s to early 1960s simply worked better for most Americans than the more libertarian culture which has replaced it. They write:

All cultures are not equal. Or at least they are not equal in preparing people to be productive in an advanced economy. The culture of the Plains Indians was designed for nomadic hunters, but is not suited to a First World, 21st-century environment. Nor are the single-parent, antisocial habits, prevalent among some working-class whites; the anti-“acting white” rap culture of inner-city blacks; the anti-assimilation ideas gaining ground among some Hispanic immigrants.

These cultural orientations are not only incompatible with what an advanced free-market economy and a viable democracy require, they are also destructive of a sense of solidarity and reciprocity among Americans. If the bourgeois cultural script — which the upper-middle class still largely observes but now hesitates to preach — cannot be widely reinstated, things are likely to get worse for us all.

Among those who currently follow the old precepts, regardless of their level of education or affluence, the homicide rate is tiny, opioid addiction is rare, and poverty rates are low. Those who live by the simple rules that most people used to accept may not end up rich or hold elite jobs, but their lives will go far better than they do now.

The authors are correct that most successful people in this society follow the old norms because they work better than the alternatives. Of course, those committed to 'alternative' lifestyles are outraged by the article.