On Jul 16, 2010, at 4:33 PM, Joseph Catron wrote:
> This myopic focus on agricultural types ignores everything else about the
> Scotch-Irish. As one who shares their blood (among a few other kinds), I
> think their historical origin, as the frontline shock troops of settlement
> and displacement, first in northern Ireland, then in America, is a bit more
> significant. A claim ignoring this history strikes me as about as sensible
> as a study setting out to prove that Zionist settlers in the West Bank tend
> to be violent because some of them herd sheep and goats
Hey, a multiple regression would no doubt find this variable significant too. I haven't read the paper - SSRN doesn't have it for download, and the author hasn't yet responded to an email request.
Michael Lind, who is also one from Texas, has some very harsh stuff about the Scotch-Irish in his book on his home state. Describes them as a conniving bunch who'd rather steal than do anything inventive.
Doug