We have all heard of the myth. The person who through "hard work" and "good choices" grows from rags to riches which apologists for capitalism trot out to show that the system really does work and that anyone can make it.
Despite the mythology, birth matters almost as much as it ever did. The vast majority of people born upper class will die upper class. The same applies to a large degree to those who are born within other gradations of income. There is little doubt that those born to lower incomes will by and large end up earning lower incomes and that those born to middle or higher middle incomes will earn as such.
The system is set up to virtually ensure this, given the costs of higher education, starting a business or building upon existing wealth. No matter how brilliant or able, capitalism and inequality smash the opportunities of most of the world's population. No matter what one's talents those born into poverty will likely live and die in poverty while even the biggest idiots and laziest people born into wealth will almost certainly live and die in wealth. The "rags to riches" story is a lie.
"Equality of opportunity" is a sham, encouraging people to believe the false idea that everyone deserves what they got and failure is a personal fault in the individual and the poor and less well-off can only blame themselves for their lack of wealth. It inflict guilt upon the “ordinary” person because, despite all the evidence to the contrary, the myth decrees that anyone can make it good in society.
A Japanese man, was accidentally born into poverty and the working class by literally being switched at birth back in 1953. He was, in fact, meant to live in wealth, but was "by fate" made the child of workers, and, contrary to commonly held lies about genetics, he ended up working class just as those who had raised him had. He was awarded the equivalent of several hundred thousand dollars after successfully arguing that "“The mix-up caused mental distress by depriving him of an opportunity to gain a higher education although his original family was wealthy.” and missing out on a very different life – one spent with his long-lost biological family, where the children were raised in wealth, with private tutors and university educations. He, instead, worked in a factory, went to night school to study to improve himself and eventually ended up a truck driver. The other baby accidentally switched at birth went on to become the president of a successful real estate company.
Hard work means little. For the vast majority of people in the world, their fate is determined the day they are born. The best choice they ever make is one they have nothing to do with. It is their parents and the luck of birth.
Adapted from here
Despite the mythology, birth matters almost as much as it ever did. The vast majority of people born upper class will die upper class. The same applies to a large degree to those who are born within other gradations of income. There is little doubt that those born to lower incomes will by and large end up earning lower incomes and that those born to middle or higher middle incomes will earn as such.
The system is set up to virtually ensure this, given the costs of higher education, starting a business or building upon existing wealth. No matter how brilliant or able, capitalism and inequality smash the opportunities of most of the world's population. No matter what one's talents those born into poverty will likely live and die in poverty while even the biggest idiots and laziest people born into wealth will almost certainly live and die in wealth. The "rags to riches" story is a lie.
"Equality of opportunity" is a sham, encouraging people to believe the false idea that everyone deserves what they got and failure is a personal fault in the individual and the poor and less well-off can only blame themselves for their lack of wealth. It inflict guilt upon the “ordinary” person because, despite all the evidence to the contrary, the myth decrees that anyone can make it good in society.
A Japanese man, was accidentally born into poverty and the working class by literally being switched at birth back in 1953. He was, in fact, meant to live in wealth, but was "by fate" made the child of workers, and, contrary to commonly held lies about genetics, he ended up working class just as those who had raised him had. He was awarded the equivalent of several hundred thousand dollars after successfully arguing that "“The mix-up caused mental distress by depriving him of an opportunity to gain a higher education although his original family was wealthy.” and missing out on a very different life – one spent with his long-lost biological family, where the children were raised in wealth, with private tutors and university educations. He, instead, worked in a factory, went to night school to study to improve himself and eventually ended up a truck driver. The other baby accidentally switched at birth went on to become the president of a successful real estate company.
Hard work means little. For the vast majority of people in the world, their fate is determined the day they are born. The best choice they ever make is one they have nothing to do with. It is their parents and the luck of birth.
Adapted from here
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