The claim that rhetorical style differs across cultures was formally invented in 1966 by Robert Kaplan when he published
Cultural Thought Patterns in Inter-Cultural Education. In short, goes the claim, cultural differences shape expectations and modes of expression when it comes to information sharing.
Now, we know cultures differ. We know different cultures differ in what they will prioritise and how they will evaluate. I find that easier to digest than "culture", that there exist different internalised values and therefore there exist different externalised expression, and that we might speak of that phenomenon in large-scale terms....
Anyway, Kaplan, fifty years ago, claimed it went something like this:
As far as I can tell, the lines taking jagged paths represent digression and the spiral represents closing in on the main point by introducing various new perspectives. The straight line indicates focused linear development without digression.
So.... racist or accurate? Are there different, and within their own context, potentially equally successful presentations of information and expectations on communication?
Presumably this is only racist if we suppose the different styles cannot be shared, or if we assert that straight line is best line....