Conflating culture and race doesn't provide a strong control. The effects of drugs on poor black and white groups in the U.S. are similar. I don't think poverty and the effects of drugs are because someone is racialized, however I do think it matters very much where they grew up, and how. Race is a proxy for class in the U.S, because class is the last real american taboo, imo.
I would also agree that the effects of racist policy impacts how they grew up, and that in turn becomes culture, but where I diverge is that the solutions to "how to not be poor," and "how to stop making people poor," are different.
The tech changes we've had have clearly raised all boats, and yet we undeniably still have poverty. What it means is that making peoples lives more convenient, giving them more stuff, and spending on the lower level needs in the hierarchy doesn't end poverty. This is the crux of what the Gwern article shows.
It has to do with ability to achieve and self-actualize. Broadly, Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a handwavy metaphor for it, and the technology changes we've had in the last 30 years provide belonging (social media), not a lot of security, and probably come at the cost of self actualization.
Given the clear quality of life improvements from technological change, we can see with some certainty that merely providing more of the things that technology change already and inevitably provides is not a solution to multi-generational self-reinforcing poverty.
I would also agree that the effects of racist policy impacts how they grew up, and that in turn becomes culture, but where I diverge is that the solutions to "how to not be poor," and "how to stop making people poor," are different.
The tech changes we've had have clearly raised all boats, and yet we undeniably still have poverty. What it means is that making peoples lives more convenient, giving them more stuff, and spending on the lower level needs in the hierarchy doesn't end poverty. This is the crux of what the Gwern article shows.
It has to do with ability to achieve and self-actualize. Broadly, Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a handwavy metaphor for it, and the technology changes we've had in the last 30 years provide belonging (social media), not a lot of security, and probably come at the cost of self actualization.
Given the clear quality of life improvements from technological change, we can see with some certainty that merely providing more of the things that technology change already and inevitably provides is not a solution to multi-generational self-reinforcing poverty.
That is the subversive implication.