[pacala]

This is a very divisive topic, for which we have strong cultural taboos and entrenched polarisation. I have yet to see shared explorations in search for the truth, where points from both sides of the debate are treated as coming from a place of good intentions. Every mistake, and there will be mistakes, genuine or perceived, will likely be exploited at the maximum, and possibly will devolve in invectives or worse. Furthermore, it is a complex topic where there may be a superposition of many causes, and teasing out the causes and their respective relative weights, by necessity, will be beyond what HN format can possibly support.

Case in point, "racism". Implying, among other things, KKK and lynchings. Would you submit that the root cause for differentials in college-level education attainment in 2019 between racial groups is endemic lynchings? If not, I would kindly submit that we need a different word to start a conversation.

Edit: Small rephrase to hopefully address u/krastanov concerns.

[krastanov]

I completely agreed with you until you wrote:

> Case in point, "racism". Implying KKK and lynchings.

Is there really a group of people that participate in intellectually honest debates that actually think the use of the word "racism" in 2019 implies "KKK and lynching"!? This sounds incredibly out of proportion to me - yes, KKK/lynching are near one of the extremes of the spectrum of racism, but it is (or used to be) incredibly far from the main realization of racism today.