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Yes, Your Parents’ Status Does Influence Your Earning Power
- Thread starter Sunstone
- Start date
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
I thought this was common knowledge.
It appears not to be. Lots of people still think that all it takes to get ahead (i.e. do better than your parents) is to work hard.
My parents were third world country immigrants that sacrificed so I can have a better life.
They were very influencial to how successful I am today.
The rich gets richer if you have the right parents. The poor gets richer if you have the right parents.
Yeah, I won the lottery of having successful poor parents that taught me the value of money and hard work.
They were very influencial to how successful I am today.
The rich gets richer if you have the right parents. The poor gets richer if you have the right parents.
Yeah, I won the lottery of having successful poor parents that taught me the value of money and hard work.
BSM1
What? Me worry?
Actually, it seems that the ones who work hard with the knowledge that there are no guarantees tend to do better. This is just something else for feel-good liberals to whine about, IMHO. But I guess it does clear the field for those who refuse to accept the status quo instilled by these types of "studies".
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
Bashing liberals does not change the fact that money can open doors.
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
It is a good thing they had the opportunity to immigrate.
Uhm, more like we escaped.
We are Vietnamese boat refugees.
But I still wouldn't change that experience. Some complain about living paycheck to paycheck as if that is real survival and poverty. Our family didn't complain because living paycheck to paycheck was still better than what we experienced. We never experienced real poverty again of a third world country after moving to US. We were still the poorest of the poor but our conditions were dramatically better.
It's all perspective. There's no chance that everybody will be given a fair hand in life. Take what you can and build on it.
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
"Uhm, more like we escaped."
Umm, then good thing they had the opportunity to "escape". Your sob story does not change the fact that "success" and opportunity have a clear link.
Well, this presents some of the basic socialism versus capitalism debate issues. Some thoughts:
A great motivating factor for people is providing well for their children by giving them the best opportunities. This creates an unequal starting point for children but is there a better system, I don't know. We could become socialist but at what cost to individual ambition and creativity to be successful? And this ambition and creativity by individuals does raise the general level of society. The U.S. was more successful than the Soviet Union.
Also I believe heredity is at play here. I think some people are certainly more gifted than others in areas that lead to more success in a capitalist environment. More successful parents are more likely to have kids gifted for success than two less gifted parents. So, I didn't see where the article touched on the fireball issue of heredity as being a factor in economic inequality.
So, basically I feel a capitalist system with compassion is still the best system. The government provides a basic level of education for all and that is a good thing.
You are expressing the exact attitude that places a limit to anyone's success. Go ahead and blame your environment.
My sob story is not a sob story. It's a success story. But like I said, it's all about perspective.
Go ahead and hold on to your perspective and see where it gets you.
I have found the idea that "working hard" is enough to earn wealth is very much a myth, at least here in Brazil. A cherished myth for many, but no less a myth for that.
There are very serious downsides to our wild mismatches of wealth levels, and they take a hard toll on our moral character and on the stability of our institutions - such as they are.
Education is of course paramount, but even that can only do so much. I can personally vouch for how troublesome it is to even attempt to have families where a generation is expected to be much more educated than its predecessors. And for wealth-oriented people, so-called "education" often ends up being in actually harmful areas such as law.
There are very serious downsides to our wild mismatches of wealth levels, and they take a hard toll on our moral character and on the stability of our institutions - such as they are.
Education is of course paramount, but even that can only do so much. I can personally vouch for how troublesome it is to even attempt to have families where a generation is expected to be much more educated than its predecessors. And for wealth-oriented people, so-called "education" often ends up being in actually harmful areas such as law.
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
"Go ahead and blame your environment."
Blame my environment for what? What do you assume I am blaming my environment for?
Just because you want to make this personal, does not mean you are right. I get so tired of people and their "sob" stories. This is not about my story, or your story, as there is mountains of data and research on this subject. "Success" has a noticeable correlation with money.
I'm not challenging the statistics. Sure it's true.
Still not sure why you're labeling my story as a sob story. I wouldn't call it that, but it is my story for the mere fact that I lived it. It is what it is.
Why is it relevant to this discussion? Because my parents didn't have wealth to begin with but they were still influential to my ability to be successful.
Your rejection of even one story that contradicts the narrative speaks for itself.
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
"Your rejection of even one story that contradicts the narrative speaks for itself."
Oh yes, that is what I am saying. It is only money that makes a person "successful", yes that is my argument.
I don't think you know what a correlation is and my objection is to you trying to make this about you.
Rational Agnostic
Well-Known Member
Of course it does. Also, Jesus was a liberal, at least fiscally.
It's not a myth.
It just isn't the norm.
But it is doable, provided that working hard is coupled with healthy doses of luck & smarts.
I know one guy who left an orphanage with only the clothing on his back, yet he is later
worth hundreds of millions. He started a business, & worked his arse off for many years.
Huh?
I remember things picking up under Reagan.
It was under Carter, his predecessor, that we were in the "malaise".
YmirGF
Bodhisattva in Recovery
While working hard towards flexible, attainable goals is laudable, social placement does give folks a leg up. Like, @Jeremiahcp said, I thought this was common knowledge.