Brazil has a lot of diversity but being 50 percent white means being 50 percent being something else.

Do they have as many Russians? As many people from the middle east? As many Muslims? Do they have large Buddhist communities? Do they have Amish? How many distinct Indian tribes do they have? I doubt more then four or five. We have that many in some states.

I'm sorry, but while Brazil does have a lot of diversity it is nothing like the US.

What is more, what is their literacy rate?

And here's another question, does Brazil have a high level of non-spanish speaking immigrants? I doubt it. Which impacts literacy... Right?

Look, I'm right. So don't get mad when my facts line up. I have an unfair advantage... I'm right.

there are a lot of free places to park that this thing doesn't list... useless.

What they want is control over global industry, insane amounts of unaudited "international aid money" and absolute moral authority.

Solve the problem and you take away their power, their money, and their claims to moral superiority.

This is something they will never let die.

If we fixed the climate tomorrow they'd still be harping about it.

Actually not.

You'd require evidence to make that argument and you've invalidated all evidence including any you'd use against me. As such you've invalidated the discussion itself and neither attacked my argument or supported your own.

You nuked the moon.

you are in the position of saying there is no illiteracy issue in the US or that there is no evidence of such.

Therefore your argument is that the whole discussion is null.

its more complicated then that... you're forgetting people that were tired of being lorded over by fat nobles and various busy bodies that wanted to control every aspect of their lives.

The new world meant getting away from people that made their lives miserable.

And freed of that baggage... they flourished.

let me rephrase then smart guy... in a language you don't speak/read?

And european languages don't count since there are too many similarities.

I can figure out spanish, italian, german, etc and I don't speak or read any of them. But we share a common macro culture and there are enough similarities.

Depends on what part of the country you're in... go to New Mexico for example and you'll run into a lot more of them.

In New York city or Los Angeles you won't run in any at all.

Diversity. The US is not comparable to any country on earth because we're more like a thousand nations blended together into inconsistent chunks. Occasionally you run into a chunk that is largely intact... other times its pureed into a mishmash of a dozen other things creating a unique composite. And it shifts throughout the country. Culture changes... sensibilities change... religions change... politics change... more diversity then you'll find in any one nation in the world.

Dave... what country in the world is as diverse as the United States? Please tell me another country that has our demographics.

There isn't one. The US, like many countries, has many things about it that are unique to itself. Name any country in the world and I can cite a few things about it that it and only it has going for it. The US is no different in this respect. And diversity of population is something the US has to a greater extreme then any other other country on earth.

Its neither a something to be proud of or ashamed of... it merely "is". Like two plus two equaling four... you run the numbers and move on.

cite a source you'll accept... I offered one... you'll find that all sources that offer anything on the issue show this pattern... so I really don't care which you cite.

Your only case if you want to sustain this argument is to reject all data sources and say that there is no evidence one way or the other.

Very well... then we have no literacy statistics at all and there is no discussion since we have no evidence one way or the other.

Thus you are in the position of accepting some source or simply abandoning the discussion altogether.

Your move.

And what inadequacies would you lay at the feet of America?

Be specific please.

You say we have a literacy problem? Really? Is it general throughout the whole population or concentrated amongst a given population and relatively uncommon elsewhere? It is...

Okay... So why it is it unreasonable to suggest that the problem is not a general problem but rather an issue with that given group of people? It isn't unreasonable. Its actually the most reasonable assessment.

As to your pathetic and baseless attempt to label me a racist with zero evidence... I can only roll my eyes and pity you for being so limited. Your intellectual framework is so tragically limited that you cannot help but label anything that falls outside of your orthodoxy as evil. You're like some 14th century peasant screaming "burn the witch!" Its quite sad that in the 21st century I must be subjected to such nitwits on the internet.

The reality is that you're suffering from a common psychological phenomenon known as cognitive dissonance. You have a strong impression of the world and very little self awareness or mental flexibility. Such that when presented with something you have no answer for you superimpose something you know or are comfortable with on top of that unknown entity.

The reality is that you don't know or understand my argument. You didn't even try. You simply know it doesn't match your pattern. So rather then think about it you impose your pattern on top of it and assume it.

Its a form of self deception. Your mind is strawmanning the universe and I have the misfortune of sharing it with you.

You're just another of those sad fools that labels anything he doesn't understand as "evil!" without bothering to grasp what he's talking about. Your opinions of me have about as much worth as the twits that thought the atom bomb would ignite the atmosphere.

If you want to attempt to have a rational discussion then we will go through your silly misconceptions one at a time and take them apart.

You say I make statements and then run away... Clearly you don't know me. I do not run away... ever. And that doesn't mean I'm never wrong. Rather, I take arguments to their logical conclusion and then declare victory or offer surrender as appropriate. You're calling me a coward... if only an intellectual coward. Well, chum... Will you answer my challenge and continue this discourse or will it be YOU that runs away?

I suspect your response to this will be some fatuous twattle such as "I won't waste my time defending myself" or some other self serving and transparent dodge. I await your pathetic retreat... should you decide to hold your ground, I will mercilessly dissect your cheap little insults until nothing is left but your shame.

Your move, twit.

Have you ever tried to play a game that wasn't made in your language?

Its almost impossible to play many games if you can't read. I can't speak to every console game... obviously there are games that don't require any kind of reading. But seriously... try loading up a game and switch the language to something you can't read. You can guess with better then 50 50 odds but it isn't pretty.

Just saying...

And to further my point... I don't know or have ever met an illiterate adult in my life.

Thus when someone says the US has a terrible problem with illiteracy it is frankly incomprehenisble to me because these poor people aren't really a part of my society. I have no interaction with them at any time during my day... ever.

And further understand that this isn't because I shun them or refuse to interact with them... they're not at my place of work. They're not at my places of entertainment. They do not join my social groups. How the hell would I even see these people unless I went out of my way to find them?

I know some complete idiots... truly stupid people... some of them have medically certified developmental disorders... and even they can read.

So when I hear of all these people that can't read... and I know people that have fetal alchohol syndrome that can still read... you can understand why I'd be a bit confused as to how this happens.

To be illiterate in this society you either have to be so new to it that it has had no opportunity to educate you. Or you have actively resisted education.

I really don't see any other explanation short of sever mental disabilities.

Possibly this is merely a reflection of my own limited perspective... So be it... I can only operate based on my own experiences and natural intelligence. I am no different from anyone in the world on this basis. We are all equal in this constraint. We differ only in that we have different experiences and different capabilities. If your experiences gifted you a broader vision on this issue then I beg that you share it with me that we might both benefit.

Ah, but does socioeconomic achievement correlate with the same subculture?

What you'll find in most cases is that people with a higher socioeconomic achievement tend to have a different subculture then those of lower socioeconomic achievement.

Do you think the values of a white person living in a trailer park and eating spam is the same as a white person living in a NYC penthouse?

Obviously not.

Tracking subculture is difficult because it is not discretely tracked but rather inferred and assumed. We can't do anything beyond that unless different data is collected.

My argument is not that black people or latin american or asian people are different but rather that given subcultures are past down from parent to child. These cultural traits have consequences that can be good or bad. It is these LEARNED/TAUGHT cultural traits that I believe are responsible for the achievement gaps. As such, I believe the ultimate solution is to encourage elements within their own cultures that advocate for healthier traits.

These traits need not be adopted from other subcultures. This is not a suggestion that they copy another group. Merely that they stop doing things that aren't working and do something that does work. Whatever that is is up to them. It is not for me to tell anyone how they must or even should live. I believe in a free country where people can live and believe how and whatever they want.

That said, if a given subculture expects my tax dollars to subsidize their failures then I feel the whole of society has a right to expect that subculture to reform eventually. It is not reasonable to expect everyone in society to pay generation after generation without end to subsidize the same mistakes.

Is that unreasonable? I strive to be reasonable... that is a core tenet of my personal philosophy. If I am being unfair, then please explain it to me and we might come to a common understanding.

Unfortunately, what you've just done is make a case for segregation since it is not possible to share a society with a group of people that arbitrarily don't have to follow the law. Or some group that can reflexively play a race card at any time to justify any action or circumstance.

To share a common society we must share a common law.

Now you'll point out that statistically given groups tend to go to jail more often or receive harsher penalties for the same crimes.

First let me say that of course the system is some times unfair. Everything in this world is occasionally unfair. In fact, sometimes it is systemically unfair. And in either case you have my full cooperation and attention to fix such injustices. That said, the presence of injustice is not an argument for anarchy. It is rather an argument for reform.

What would you propose as a fix to correct these injustices? Your fix CANNOT apply one rule for one race and another rule for a different race. The law must be impartial.

I'm afraid you've made a mistake in assuming poverty causes these issues. You are making a mistake akin to a doctor saying a fever is caused by a cough just because everyone with a fever has a cough.

Causation and correlation.

Causation pertains to elements that cause a thing or event to occur while correlation pertains to elements that occur at the same time but had no part in causing that series of events.

Poverty in this case is a symptom... not the disease.

You do not cure cancer by proscribing painkillers. And you will not fix this problem by throwing money at it.

To see real lasting change you must trigger a cultural change that becomes part of the inherited cultural framework. It must pass from mother and father to sons and daughters... once established it should be self sustaining.

Anything short of that is a waste of time.

How to do this? I humbly leave that to people more knowledgeable and acceptable to these cultures. They wouldn't accept my presumption of authority or guidance. So I will not waste my time offering it.

All I can do is offer my support to those people acceptable to those communities that try to bring lasting change. No where have I said this will be easy or quick. But the solution is not money... We will offer the money anyway because we care and we want them to do better. But we also understand that the money is worthless without a real effort to change.

Without that effort... in a thousand years you could see patterns no different from today indifferent to any amount of money thrown at the issue.

Its simply what is...