How much of “Luck” in one’s life is due to one’s economic status?
I’m tired of everyone saying it’s all about intelligence and hard work because it’s not. Or one’s “mindset.” You can have the most “positive mindset” in the world, but if you’re born in the slums of India, or in the deserts Africa, or in Gaza- your life is pretty much screwed. Telling us life is all due to how smart or how hard you work or your mindset is just an excuse for ppl to tell you the reason you “failed” is bc of you, and NOT bc of systemic issues like classism.
Would Bill Gates be Bill Gates if his parents were poor? Would he have built MS?
Would Elon Musk be Elon Musk has his father not been involved with Emerald mines and of selling Emeralds? I doubt it.
Everyone loves to believe in the “self-made man.” But there is no successful person that is truly “self-made.” All had some kind of help. Sure, SOME had talent to propel them out of poverty, but that is the rare exception rather than the norm. Life is less about hard work and intelligence than being born to the right parents/economic background. Upward social mobility- while not impossible- is largely improbably, especially going from poor to rich or even poor to middle class.
No one wants to admit they were born lucky (though Bill Gates actually has admitted he was lucky to be born to a well off family and does actually attribute that to his success. He’s a douchebag and evil, but at least he acknowledges that ). It’s always “I got there through hard work” or “I got there on my own.” Yeah, nah, no you didn’t. You had help. Almost everyone who is middle class or upper class had help.
