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I used to work in HR and took care of the basics of hiring. Almost all the amazing job opportunities at our company were filled with "people who knew the right people." A great job opens up and instead of searching for the best candidate out there, we would end up hiring the CFO's son's college roommate. The CFO's son worked for a company owned by a golfing buddy of the CFO. I saw this over and over. Nobody wanted to be accused of nepotism so they wouldn't hire their own family but made sure their friends did.
The upper and high upper middle class world tends to be very small and they all take care of each other. It's very hard for someone raised in an average family to break into that world, the few who do tend to be very high achievers who were able to attend very good schools and made their connections that way. Most of these people who were raised well off take it for granted and do not see or understand how privileged they are. They will simply attribute all their success to hard work and assume anyone who hasn't made it to high levels is just too lazy or stupid.
Maybe you forgot some small anecdotes like Jeff Bezos who was born to a poor single mom and now closing on Warren Buffet when it comes to wrath. Same thing as the WhatsApp guy. There is mobility in the USA, unlike the U.K. So stop listen to the secretary from Carter years who often comes here and spread misinformation. It's not a perfect country but it's pretty darn good.
Last edited by NewbieHere; 06-16-2017 at 11:03 PM..
@ Pub-911 and others that are so down on America not being the "Land of Opportunity" anymore and that its a "rigged" system, well name another country that you lived in where you feel immigrants or poor could advance themselves and move up in class? England? Countries in Western Europe?
America certainly has its problems, but I've lived in many countries and none compare to the opportunities and fairness the U.S. offers to ALL its people, born in the U.S. or not. It all depends on if people want to work for it, or want it handed to them.
Sure, some people are born into a better position, but that's life. Its what you make of what you were given that counts.
My brown immigrant parents agree with you completely.
Maybe you forgot some small anecdotes like Jeff Bezos who was born to a poor single mom and now closing on Warren Buffet when it comes to wrath. Same thing as the WhatsApp guy. There is mobility in the USA, unlike the U.K. So stop listen to the secretary from Carter years who often comes here and spread misinformation. It's not a perfect country but it's pretty darn good.
Nowhere did I say it was impossible to move up in class and that nobody could do it but it's far from commonplace. The people who do it tend be extremely intelligent and have either a very strong marketable ability/skill or were able to attend a high ranking university where they make connections. Most of Europe has higher levels of upward social mobility than the US. The way a country stays great is by looking at our problems and working to always become better.
Aside from the inflammatory rhetoric in the article, the author brought up some issues that both democrats and republicans should agree on--eliminating mortgage interest deductions, 529 college savings plans, and exclusionary zoning.
@ Pub-911 and others that are so down on America not being the "Land of Opportunity" anymore and that its a "rigged" system, well name another country that you lived in...
Why would having lived in any country matter? If reliability based on local experience actually existed, there would not be so many people here who are totally baffled and confused about the state and nature of this country.
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Originally Posted by JakeinChina
...where you feel immigrants or poor could advance themselves and move up in class? England? Countries in Western Europe?
The actual point refers to native-born and foreign-born alike.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeinChina
It all depends on if people want to work for it, or want it handed to them.
The data suggest that effort and work may not be particularly relevant to mobility. This is why the standard mythology is in fact mythology.
Research shows that the vast majority of Americans have zero influence on public policy...
History shows that the nation was designed that way. The founders had no respect at all for the rot of what the illiterate masses might have to say. Not much has changed on that front.
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Originally Posted by PCALMike
...while the ruling donor class essentially set policy. Is that democracy? Or oligarchy?
Direct democracy is at least close to being the worst of all possible systems of government. What we have instead is a much different system sometimes called "representative democracy" wherein those we elect make all the big decisions for us.
History shows that the nation was designed that way. The founders had no respect at all for the rot of what the illiterate masses might have to say. Not much has changed on that front.
.
I find that most people who want the illiterate masses to have a say haven't met a lot of them.
I have. They are scary.
...but I'm pretty sure your claim about US intergenerational mobility* is wrong. If you are referencing the work of Lind and or Longman I guarantee you it's wrong.
Exactly what one would expect to hear from someone taking his cues from such weak and reactionary responses as those found in the National Review or other such intentionally disinformational media.
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Originally Posted by EDS_
Historically, as a society that values and pays well for education and specialization the bottom quintile
has been very sticky. Other quintiles much less so.
The actual data do not support this claim. Put briefly, the data strongly suggest that this claim is just a load of crap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EDS_
*Are you talking about relative or absolute intergenerational mobility? They are very different things.
Yes, one is a low-merit deflection typically cited in an attempt to mask the rather plain and obvious implications of the other.
People don't need to feel guilty but awareness would go a long way. Being blind to one's privilege is a problem because it inhibits one's ability to truly understand how the world works and empathize with people raised in much different circumstances.
Maybe you forgot some small anecdotes like Jeff Bezos who was born to a poor single mom and now closing on Warren Buffet when it comes to wrath.
This is an argument from the outliers. When 95% of something tilts one way and just 5% the other, keep hitting and hitting on examples from the 5% and pretend that the 95% does not exist. No points for that.
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