Who Does Better In Life?

[southerngirlwriter]

Poll question: Who Does Better In Life?

I realize that there are ten billion things that affect every individual life, from talent to luck to freak accidents to happy coinicidences.

Just in general, assuming two people are of roughly equal intelligence, who's going to be more successful in life? (We are defining success, for purposes of this poll, as career advancement and material wealth. Personally, I think success has to do with creative fulfillment, but that's another poll).

In case anybody cares, this poll is to settle a bet with a moderate, on-the-fence, leaning-our-way-but-not-there-yet, friend of mine.

Thanks!! :hi:

[southerngirlwriter]

1. A small request for poll voters

Would y'all please keep this kicked until we get at least 50 votes? I am leaving to go out of town and won't be back until tomorrow morning, most likely. :-(


Thanks again!! :hi:

[rogerashton]

2. Hard work DOES help.

Persistence does, too. But the clincher is that the person from the rich background will get more opportunities to work hard very profitably than the person from the poor background. Hard work at a dead-end job just gets you to the dead end faster.

[southerngirlwriter]

4. Yep.

A rich kid I knew growing up got to work for free (because they could afford to) all summer in the office of a locally famous, prominent lawyer who ended up writing recommendation letters for scholarships to college and law schools -- but even without the letters, that looked so good on applications and resumes that it made a huge difference.

I'm sure he did work very hard. I'm sure that lawyer got all the free labor he could out of the kid.

Me? I bagged groceries 30 hours a week and flipped burgers 20 more that summer. I had to have the money to help keep the phone and lights turned on.

This may be arrogant, but I was a lot smarter than kid.

Shit happens, huh? :shrug:

[Donkeyboy75]

3. Hard work helps,

but money really greases the wheels.

[sasquatch]

5. I've noticed offspring of the weathy and connected are the most successful

When I was working in Heating and Air Conditioning, our vice president was a complete jackass. He was also a religous fundy as well. The bastard would underbid every job he bid on.

[southerngirlwriter]

6. Kick

I'm out of town for the night!! Thanks, y'all! :hi:

[ZenLefty]

7. Pecuniary success depends largely on who you know

If your father is a rich asshole, he will know all the rich assholes at the country club. They all do rich asshole business together. They introduce their kid, son-of-a-rich-asshole, to all the rich assholes. There is an unspoken, unwritten promise to try to help all the son-of-a-rich-assholes grow up to be rich assholes too. The favors are reciprocal.

You can work hard and advance up the ladder, but when you're a worker bee you just don't have the contacts that the rich assholes do. There's a glass ceiling for those who weren't born into money. I know because it left a lump on my head. x(

DISCLAIMER: The foregoing post is merely a generalization. Not all who are rich are assholes. Not all who are assholes are rich. Not all the members of a country club are rich assholes, but I'll bet most of them are.

[freetobegay]

8. If your mind can conceive it,

And in your heart, you believe it, you can achieve it!

The poll only shows self doubters!

[camero]

10. The poll only shows

That we know the game is rigged.

[strategery blunder]

9. Money greases wheels; enter bu$h

Need I say more?

[neoteric lefty]

11. this poll seems a little too general

if it is the difference between a poor kid with a single mother versus a very well-to-do kid, then the choice seems to be clear but if it the difference between a middle-class kid versus a well-off kid, then I don't think you can make a generalization. Hard work still has a lot to do with how well you do in life (material success), IMO.

[Nikia]

12. The more connected person

The person from the wealthier background usually has better connections to start with. Sometimes they reject those connections, but still usually got encouragement and help with getting a college education and carry their higher class mannerisms and attitudes with them, making them more attractive to employers with high paying positions.
The hard working person from a poor background must be more than hardworking to get ahead. In too many jobs, simply doing one's job well does not usuaully lead to advancement. They usually must demonstrate outstanding leadership and social skills to rise above entry level. They can get a college education too, of course, but usually aren't encouraged towards that and it can be difficult once they have a family. The thing that a person from a poor background should work on is getting to know and impressing the right people. They don't start out with connections so they have to make them. They also must be lucky or read people well enough to choose people who will help them rather than take advantage of them.

[Deja Q]

13. It's a fallacy that if you work hard you'll make it

You're either born wealthy, or you see an opportunity and exploit and/or steal from someone else in order to get to the market first.

Occasionally there is a good product or service, I won't be a total cynic.

[Robb]

14. Choice B has a rolling start

...that's kinda all there is to it. A Pinto can beat a Ferrari off the line if he's rolling already. A leg up, a headstart, whatever, choose your metaphor and all other things being equal, B will do better.