I'm also skeptical of narratives of a pre-ordained future for America based on the American Dream or any other teleological belief system.

It's always felt pretty intuitive to me that shared goals in a culture should have some real effect on outcomes.

It doesn't mean absolutely everyone takes part, of course, but it does mean it's a 'thing' that people may take part in with support from many of those around them if they choose.

Looking at the inverse: If you're going against the cultural wind, you're just going to have a much harder time doing whatever it is.

It just seems like this must show up in outcomes, it would be strange if it didn't.