[happyscrappy]

Of course they do. That doesn't mean their success isn't from their hard work. If you are raised in a culture of hard work, it is no surprise that you succeed. If you are raised in a culture of hanging out smoking blunts guess what happens? Immigrants are some of the most astoundingly successful people in the country and they often start with nothing. Victimology is self fulfilling.

[TheOtherHobbes]

You miss the point of the article, which is that it's not victimology to understand that social mobility depends on a lot more than talent or hard work, and that you have to be either young or naive to believe that that's all it takes.

I'm currently reading a biography of one of the most famous and successful British rock bands. The core of the band met at a famous public school. They had:

1. Spare money to buy instruments and equipment, including vans and cars

2. Plenty of rehearsal opportunities - often in very large country houses or grand cottages where they stayed for free

3. Direct access to successful people in their immediate social circles

4. No immediate financial pressures. (Not that they were rich. But they were never in danger of starving or becoming homeless.)

They happened to be very talented. But without those opportunities the talent would not have been enough, and they would have had to join most of their peers in ordinary jobs.

Class is a network of opportunities that is denied to outsiders. It's also about learned social confidence within the network.

A few 'Well I made it so you can too' anecdotes are beside the point. A few people always do make it, no matter what.

The real issue is the number who don't, in spite of best efforts and hard work, and of the talent and hard work wasted in a culture of low social mobility.

The failures never appear in Fortune, but they're out there in their millions.

[happyscrappy]

The article states that the two main factors are family and money. I am of the opinion that family is the much more important, and difficult to solve factor but everyone wants to focus on the money. Growing up rich gives advantages for success, but in my opinion growing up middle class makes it much more likely you will be a success, not just slowly squandering your inheritance. It is hard to have a strong work ethic if you don't have to work for anything. The phrase helpless as a rich man's child comes to mind. We should concentrate on helping families stay together.