Blacks and Hispanic spend more on "show-off" items than whites

[Spino]

I really hate how these studies take a monochromatic and/or white vs. everyone else view of the world. How convenient that this study excluded Asians...

13 Our focus has been analyzing difference in spending patterns between Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites. We also explored differences in spending patterns between Asians and Whites. Asians, on average, spend 10 percent less on visible goods than Whites with similar permanent income and demographics. Given the large amount of heterogeneity within the Asian population, we excluded them from our tests of conspicuous consumption discussed in the following sections. However, given that mean Asian income is slightly higher than mean White income, our theory outlined in Section 4 would predict less conspicuous consumption among Asians relative to Whites, all else equal.

Because a report that has Asians at one end of the spectrum with Blacks at the other is just too terrible to imagine...

Ok, I'm a bad boy for not wading through all 72 pages of this study but I'm having trouble with this statement... "Given the large amount of heterogeneity within the Asian population..."?!? Why would the Asian population be any more hetergenous that whites? When you consider that the term 'Asian' is as broad and generalized as 'white' in the US and implies a number of distinct ethnicities (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysians, etc.) it is difficult for me to accept the notion that they are much more heterogenous than Europeans.

Call me nutty but this study in conspicuous consumption seems to parallel the findings of the Bell Curve and other controversial texts, studies & tests that are notorious for driving environmental determinists into a raving, bloodthirsty mob. Asians = highest mean IQ = least conspicuous consumers... Blacks = lowest mean IQ = most conspicuous consumers. And... that's all I'm going to say on the matter... Let someone else stir up the hornets' nest and mention the elephant standing in the corner...