Scott Alexander argues that Jewish overachievement is real and deserves continued study, countering Noah Smith's attempt to downplay its significance. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to Noah Smith's article questioning whether Jews are really disproportionately successful. Scott argues that Jewish success is real and not fully explained by selective immigration or other factors Noah proposed. He examines historical evidence on Jewish immigration, compares Jewish achievement to urbanization rates, and discusses data on Jewish success in various fields. Scott concludes that Jewish overachievement remains an interesting and important phenomenon to study, potentially offering insights into genetics or cultural factors that could be broadly beneficial if understood. Shorter summary

Scott investigates unusually high suicide rates in Guyana, Greenland, and Siberian regions, exploring potential ethnic, cultural, and social factors contributing to these trends. Longer summary

This post explores unusually high suicide rates in different parts of the world, focusing on Guyana, Greenland, and remote Siberian regions. Scott examines potential causes for these high rates, including ethnic and cultural factors, alcohol consumption, social disruption, and abuse. For Guyana, he notes the high rate among Indo-Guyanese, speculating on possible cultural or historical reasons. In Greenland, he discusses the dramatic increase in suicide rates since the 1970s, linking it to forced modernization and a spike in alcohol consumption. For Siberian groups, he explores various theories including genetics and cultural traditions, but ultimately suggests that the combination of alcohol-naive hunter-gatherers, high alcohol consumption, and disruption of traditional ways of life may be the primary factors across these regions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander offers follow-up insights on his guns and states analysis, addressing cultural factors, rape correlations, replication issues, and the complexity of gun control debates. Longer summary

Scott Alexander provides follow-up thoughts on his previous post about guns and states. He discusses the interaction between cultural factors and gun ownership, explores correlations with rape rates, addresses replication issues, and critiques the gun control debate. He also mentions a meta-analysis by Gary Kleck that shows mixed results in guns-homicide correlation studies, emphasizing the importance of considering multiple studies rather than relying on a single one. Shorter summary