What's Culture Got To Do With It?

I wanted to share an article with you all that relates back to one that I posted last week, on the depressing statistics about young African American men. In Sunday's New York Times, Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson argues that socioeconomic factors have only weak explanatory power, and that we have to look at cultural explanations.

The reluctance of academics to do so, he says, is the result of misperceptions about the implications of talking about culture. First, many believe that cultural explanations inherently blame the victim. Second, some feel that zeroing in on culture means we are powerless to make changes. Both of these views are incorrect, Patterson argues.

What's really fascinating is his summary of some research that has been done about why young black women graduate from high school and attend college at much higher rates than their male peers. (Which ties in to my post from Friday on that subject). According to these young men themselves, the consequences of not obtaining an education pale in comparison to the seductiveness of what sociologists call the "cool-pose culture." And, importantly, this subculture cannot be disconnected from the broader culture in which it originated. Specifically, the cool-pose culture wouldn't be so seductive if white kids didn't think it was all that and accord respect to participants.

Anyway, the article goes into this in greater depth. There is much food for thought here.