David Starkey

The phrase "Pavlov's dog" is used often to describe someone who merely reacts to a situation rather than using critical thinking.  This was the case often when people wishing to discuss immigration were immediately branded as racist.

David Starkey had a bad press after the recent outbreaks of looting and rioting when he made the observation that some white people have adopted the culture and speech patterns of  some black people.  For this observation he had accusations of racism and hated directed at him.   My criticism of Starkey is that he was too broad brush in his statements and he was too quick to jump to a conclusion on the cause of the looting.

A further example of his broad brush approach may be found by clicking on the link below.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/8890624/David-Starkey-in-new-row-over-mono-culture-comments.html

There is no such animal as white mono-culture.  There are competing cultures in the UK and they are shared by people of all races.  I pose the questions: is culture based on class rather than race?  Is culture determined by geography or nationality? 

Indeed is the concept of culture beyond definition? I have questioned political parties dedicated to preserving 'English culture'.  What are they seeking to preserve? I would go so far as to propose that in the postmodern age it is as difficult to define culture as it is to define community.