Blaming poverty on the mysterious influence of “culture” is a convenient excuse for doing nothing to address the problem.That is the first paragraph of Paul Ryan’s culture attack is an excuse to do nothing about poverty, Robinson's Tuesday Washington Post column, which I strongly urge all to read and pass on.
Robinson covers points after point, totally tearing apart the implicit racism of Ryan's argument, that there is culture in inner cities - read Blacks, and maybe Hispanics - that lacks a work ethic.
As Robinson writes succinctly
The fundamental problem that poor people have, whether they live in decaying urban neighborhoods or depressed Appalachian valleys or small towns of the Deep South, is not enough money.In other words, the issues is poverty, being it that of urban people of color or rural Southern Whites.
The programs that address these issues - which from the government standpoint include "money, food stamps, Medicaid, housing assistance and the like" are insufficient without job skills and the jobs to which to apply those skills.
Bur rather than address these real issues, Ryan attacked a "culture" to which Robinson responds
It’s much easier to say that culture is ultimately to blame. But since there’s no step-by-step procedure for changing a culture, we end up not doing anything.Please keep reading.
