The Wall Street Journal published an article describing the influx of South Asian-Americans into the arena of spelling bees. According to the article, this has resulted in the domination of Indian-Americans in the Scripps National Spelling Bee by producing eight of its last twelve champions. This is surprising since also according to the article, “in 1989…, in standardized tests Indian-Americans were consistently performing above average in every subject but English.” This being the case, how did they manage to rise to preeminence in this event in less than 20 years? Did they participate in government programs intent on leveling the academic playing field and diminishing performance gaps?-NO!
The answer to the question, even if we are not willing to accept it, is CAPITALISM! Yes, that’s right! CAPITALISM! To wit, a need was identified and a solution was proposed through a capitalistic appeal to their culture. Since they were already acculturated toward academic achievement, it became a matter of presenting a viable and acceptable solution to their specific academic shortcoming. The solution focuses on creating a culture of individual achievement through competition. More specifically, that competition takes the form of spelling bees targeting Indian-Americans only. Yes, that’s right! Indian-Americans only! Is this discriminatory? Yes, but in a good way since it does not conjure any claims of innate ethnic intellectual superiority. Rather it is a focused effort to remedy a specific gap in achievement. And although no evidence was presented that an overall increase was achieved in Indian-American standardized test scores in English, the results in the bees are nonetheless notable. Just as notable, is the fact that this was an effort of private enterprise, not government policies or programs.
And let’s not deceive ourselves by denying that the monetary rewards are a part of the draw. In this case it is a way to fund their college educations. This is fitting since financial gain is the way in which capitalism encourages effort and rewards achievement. Moreover, Indian businessmen combined this appeal with a narrow ethnic criterion to establish several contests including the South Asian Spelling Bee.
Spelling bees are specialized academic endeavors which require large investments of time and effort, yet there still remains the issue of the individual’s level of interest and potential. None of these can be diminished by poverty or aided by wealth.Thus they remain more important than economics. This is similar to the achievement of other minorities in sports and other endeavors where there is concerted effort based on cultural appeal, interest, participation, and effort. Still, it is the competition and the promise of reward based upon success that draws those who put forth the greatest effort, demonstrate the greatest interest and possess the greatest potential.
Yet and still, this could not work so well unless it was compatible with human nature, since the results are dependent on the aspect of human nature by which we give preference to future financial reward over our present financial state. Thus, both poor and wealthy seeking a similar financial reward, are motivated to excellence by the spirit of competition. This formula has served Indian-Americans well in this endeavor and demonstrates the effectiveness of Capitalism and its compatibility with human nature.
Humbly Submitted
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Illegitimacy and Imago Dei Part 2
This is part two in a series. The previous post addressed how illegitimacy pays homage to the image of God in human beings. This series is not a diatribe intended to assign blame, but rather it attempts to link our distinct human nature to a distinctly human condition.
Illegitimacy is a paradoxical state, in that while it does not devalue a person essentially, it does diminish a person existentially. In this case 'existential' denotes the consequences which are caused by a particular condition without affecting one’s innate human worth. Two obvious consequences are the internal shame and the external stigmas. Additional consequences are circumstantial, yet tend to be heavily concentrated among the illegitimate as a subset of racial and socioeconomic groups. Although the Hoover Institution article focuses on the link to criminality, the original Heritage Foundation article addresses a broader range of issues. Further treatment is conducted in other articles concerning illegitimacy and its relationship to welfare, family structure, and public policy. The research and commentary on these subjects is extensive. Interestingly however, I found nothing on this topic on the NARAL or Planned Parenthood websites, and only articles connecting illegitimacy to legislation on the NOW site. I expected more attention on this subject from organizations which claim concern for women’s welfare, empowerment, and reproductive rights.
That notwithstanding, the consequential diminishment of individuals subsists in their illegitimacy to the degree that certain conditions are more likely to occur to their detriment. As written in the prior post, those conditions include poverty, poor health, poor educational achievement, high crime rates, and substance abuse. This does not absolutely preclude a favorable familial experience or upbringing, but such a beneficial scenario is much more difficult to establish or maintain within the context of illegitimacy. The point is that the effect on illegitimate individuals accumulates within the neighborhoods, societies, and nations in which they are citizens. This is especially true when the rates of illegitimacy rise as they have in the U.S. Hence, the detriments of illegitimacy have a cumulative effect by exacerbating social problems. Accordingly, the entire society has a natural interest in addressing illegitimacy as a causal link to certain depredations of life.
But what of those who have directly caused this condition? I speak namely of the fathers and mothers of these children. Are they not to be held to account for the deprived familial condition which they have created? After all, the government did not dispatch agents to impregnate anyone. Nor has it given orders for any man to do so. That notwithstanding, government has subsidized certain conditions and behaviors which lead to illegitimacy and can be held to account for its egregious enabling. Still, as stated at the outset, this is not a blame game. In fact, the purpose of this series is to demonstrate that the truth of Imago Dei is indispensable for understanding human nature and ameliorating the human condition.
Although easily identified, apart from the Imago Dei, these cause/effect relationships are purely materialistic in their distinction. Ultimately, the immaterial soul bears the brunt of the effect. The resulting distress is no less real and lingers for a lifetime. The illegitimate who come face to face with the reality of their state in comparison to those who are legitimate, realize at some point that they possess less in regard to beneficial behavioral knowledge, because they are less by way a lack of the rudimentary knowledge of normative familial experiences. Those experiences are necessary for the formation of natural bonds and normal identity which acculturate us within family and society. Therefore, being illegitimate, they both exist and operate outside of the established norm. Despite varying degrees of tolerance for illegitimacy over time and across cultures, that norm is not arbitrary but firmly established throughout nearly six thousand years of recorded history.
Unsurprisingly, illegitimacy creates widows and orphans by default because it consists of women without husbands and children without fathers. Of course I understand that a widow was once wed, but upon the death of her husband, except for the lack of shame, she effectively becomes much like the unwed mother. Moreover, the shame of unwed motherhood is natural regardless of cultural acceptance. Despite all manner of religious orthodoxies or secular persuasions, it is ultimately the Imago Dei which creates shame in such a situation. Humanity is distinctly favored with the moral acumen necessary for the manifestation of shame and the accompanying expectation of judgment. Still, there is another element which is necessary to incite shame and judgment. That element is the Law of God. More to come…
Humbly Submitted
Illegitimacy is a paradoxical state, in that while it does not devalue a person essentially, it does diminish a person existentially. In this case 'existential' denotes the consequences which are caused by a particular condition without affecting one’s innate human worth. Two obvious consequences are the internal shame and the external stigmas. Additional consequences are circumstantial, yet tend to be heavily concentrated among the illegitimate as a subset of racial and socioeconomic groups. Although the Hoover Institution article focuses on the link to criminality, the original Heritage Foundation article addresses a broader range of issues. Further treatment is conducted in other articles concerning illegitimacy and its relationship to welfare, family structure, and public policy. The research and commentary on these subjects is extensive. Interestingly however, I found nothing on this topic on the NARAL or Planned Parenthood websites, and only articles connecting illegitimacy to legislation on the NOW site. I expected more attention on this subject from organizations which claim concern for women’s welfare, empowerment, and reproductive rights.
That notwithstanding, the consequential diminishment of individuals subsists in their illegitimacy to the degree that certain conditions are more likely to occur to their detriment. As written in the prior post, those conditions include poverty, poor health, poor educational achievement, high crime rates, and substance abuse. This does not absolutely preclude a favorable familial experience or upbringing, but such a beneficial scenario is much more difficult to establish or maintain within the context of illegitimacy. The point is that the effect on illegitimate individuals accumulates within the neighborhoods, societies, and nations in which they are citizens. This is especially true when the rates of illegitimacy rise as they have in the U.S. Hence, the detriments of illegitimacy have a cumulative effect by exacerbating social problems. Accordingly, the entire society has a natural interest in addressing illegitimacy as a causal link to certain depredations of life.
But what of those who have directly caused this condition? I speak namely of the fathers and mothers of these children. Are they not to be held to account for the deprived familial condition which they have created? After all, the government did not dispatch agents to impregnate anyone. Nor has it given orders for any man to do so. That notwithstanding, government has subsidized certain conditions and behaviors which lead to illegitimacy and can be held to account for its egregious enabling. Still, as stated at the outset, this is not a blame game. In fact, the purpose of this series is to demonstrate that the truth of Imago Dei is indispensable for understanding human nature and ameliorating the human condition.
Although easily identified, apart from the Imago Dei, these cause/effect relationships are purely materialistic in their distinction. Ultimately, the immaterial soul bears the brunt of the effect. The resulting distress is no less real and lingers for a lifetime. The illegitimate who come face to face with the reality of their state in comparison to those who are legitimate, realize at some point that they possess less in regard to beneficial behavioral knowledge, because they are less by way a lack of the rudimentary knowledge of normative familial experiences. Those experiences are necessary for the formation of natural bonds and normal identity which acculturate us within family and society. Therefore, being illegitimate, they both exist and operate outside of the established norm. Despite varying degrees of tolerance for illegitimacy over time and across cultures, that norm is not arbitrary but firmly established throughout nearly six thousand years of recorded history.
Unsurprisingly, illegitimacy creates widows and orphans by default because it consists of women without husbands and children without fathers. Of course I understand that a widow was once wed, but upon the death of her husband, except for the lack of shame, she effectively becomes much like the unwed mother. Moreover, the shame of unwed motherhood is natural regardless of cultural acceptance. Despite all manner of religious orthodoxies or secular persuasions, it is ultimately the Imago Dei which creates shame in such a situation. Humanity is distinctly favored with the moral acumen necessary for the manifestation of shame and the accompanying expectation of judgment. Still, there is another element which is necessary to incite shame and judgment. That element is the Law of God. More to come…
Humbly Submitted
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