[jjj123]

Couldn’t you also say it’s largely unfactual, since the vast majority of strivers and grinders never escape their economic class?

I guess it depends on what opportunity means to you. Does it mean something that’s “likely” or “less than one in a thousand”? To me, a “one in a thousand” chance to strike it rich is not good enough to justify the immense suffering our economic system causes.

[tt24]

Our economic system is actually the only thing that reduces suffering to this extent. It’s basically eliminated poverty, hunger, and healthcare scarcity.

[jjj123]

When I say “our economic system” I am not talking about capitalism generally, I’m talking about the US system specifically, where we are:

51st in percentage of the population that lives in poverty [1]

Decent but worse than social democratic countries like France and Germany in hunger [2]

Ranked below Canada, France, Germany, the UK in healthcare outcomes, which all have more socialized systems than we do [3]

So I stand behind my broader point: the culture of individualism in the US benefits a select few and hurts us as a whole.

1: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/poverty-r... 2: https://journalistsresource.org/home/food-insecurity-health/... 3: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2024-09...

[tt24]

Calling it "poverty" is a misnomer - in the United States, even the poorest get food, healthcare, and housing.