In that presentation the claim was made the Mohawks were genetically unafraid of heights .. strange I thought that one tribe in the Five Nations would be and not the others.
Now look to the three things about Mohawks that I mentioned -- susceptibility to smallpox, prone to alchohol abuse, and lacking fear of heights. The first is cultural in a way, probably -- the Mohawks hadn't been exposed and hadn't developed antigens passed along in mother's milk. It's a strong cultural trait, yet almost seems genetic in statisical appearance. Until the Mohawks developed those antigens and passed them along they had to take special precautions to avoid the disease -- moreso than the Eurpeans. That was not a question of fairness, just survival.
The second -- alcoholism -- seems at first glance to be the most behaviour derived rather genetic. Yet it turns out to be a genetic predisposition. Culturally the Mohawks have to -- and still need to -- develop more safeguards against this genetic weakness to fermented spirits. It's not a question of fairness -- just survival. It is racial, yet still that racial characteristic it must be taken account of in the Mohawk culture.
Each Mohawk is an individual, and may live seperate from the old Tribe, but if an individual has that gene found more among Mohawks than others, that person must take extra care -- if his Mohawk heritage is known, or until testing shows it is in him or not. Failing to know, failing to be more strict, to be on the wagon, has far harder consequences.
Even though it is a genetic thing, rather than cultural, the best way to deal with the problem is culturally. While one and another Mohawk may be free of this gene, it is found at greater precentage among them all, so that culutral adaptations can have great ameliorative effect, even though this and that individual doesn't need these culturally improving habits to be safe from the problem.
And last is that postive thing -- training to eliminate fear of heights -- a cultural phemonom. As a training, it is independent of "race" and genetics, yet because it is so much a part of the culture of Mohawks, who in many other ways appear through common genetic characterics as a "race", each individual appears almost to have inherited the trait. Yet did not.
By statistics and by personal observations, I think that the individuals who together form a "black" inner city neighborhood, in addition to sharing those genetic and cultural traits that mark them in current sensibilites, both to themselves and to others as "black", those in such neighborhoods share other mixtures of genetic and cultural influences that make tham more susceptible to the problems in sexual mores what lead to single motherhood and illegitimacy. What the mix between genetic and cultural influences is, who knows -- I'd suspect too that the genetic component is individually very very small, yet in larger groups over time it resonates, reinforces in its effect.
It is not-PC to even suggest that there may be genetic influences rather than cultural ones. Yet in my own life , as much as I might culturally attempt to become a "black" man, it fails me. I am missing some important genetics, important and obvious ones! The obvious ones may be remarked in public -- "It's a black thang, you white boys would never understand it", yet it brings on the most vicious response to suggest that there other less obvious ones, more subtle and in one individual of neglible impact, yet by cultural resonance of very potent impact in the whole group.