Bootstrapping

[profxuanwu]

When someone tries to argue against the idea of bootstrapping (that is, the capability of someone toward the bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder to climb to the higher levels through their own effort and hard work), my response is simple: "I guess that means a poor multiracial kid with a single mom will never be able to attend an Ivy League

Comments

[sailorptah]

I'm not even gonna try to unpack this one, just shove you in the direction of Malcom Gladwell's "Outliers".

[profxuanwu]

Not sure how that book counters my point. The fact American society can produce and support outliers (as opposed to suppressing them) is a sign of a healthy society

[sailorptah]

The point of Gladwell's book is that outliers don't get that way by "effort and hard work" alone -- that the environment plays a huge factor. Bill Gates could not have gotten to be Bill Gates without the benefit of that early computer experience, no matter how hard he worked, no matter how sharp his mind.

If you really believed that people could achieve just as much greatness "no matter their circumstances", then you wouldn't be a volunteer. But you care about trying to equip those kids, about affecting their surroundings, about trying to give them better circumstances.

[profxuanwu]

The effort a person needs to succeed increases with the difficulty presented by the environment. At the same time, I believe people are strong enough to achieve success despite the difficulties they may face. I engage in efforts to reduce the barriers people can face because the easier it is for people to succeed, the more Mozarts, Einsteins, and other geniuses will come to the fore. This doesn't mean people necessarily need help or a good start to succeed, only that it betters their chances