• SwingingTheLamp@piefed.zip
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    15 hours ago

    We live in a society with a lot of equality almost anyone smart enough can work hard enough to get themselves out of almost any situation

    [Citation Needed]

    The problem with statements like this is tautological. If somebody can’t get themselves out of a situation, one can just breezily dismiss it by saying that they didn’t work hard enough.

    It’s why I think that we need to send Elon Musk to colonize Mars. By himself. He’s a self-made job creator, so he can start up a successful business first, create those jobs, and then send for workers later, right? He wouldn’t even need heavy, expensive life support equipment!

    If you think that this is ridiculous, then you have to concede that there are actually some structural obstacles that can’t be overcome by any amount of gumption. (And is it really just a lack of effort that explains why nobody born in Soweto in 1971 is a near-trillionaire?)

    • [Citation Needed]

      My experience and all the people I’ve spoken to throughout my life. Not 1 single person in a shut scenario didn’t have options to negate or escape said scenario.

      The problem with statements like this is tautological. If somebody can’t get themselves out of a situation, one can just breezily dismiss it by saying that they didn’t work hard enough.

      Or they weren’t smart enough. Or they where not fit (in the Darwinian sense) enough to get out of it.

      It’s why I think that we need to send Elon Musk to colonize Mars. By himself. He’s a self-made job creator, so he can start up a successful business first, create those jobs, and then send for workers later, right? He wouldn’t even need heavy, expensive life support equipment!

      That’s an excellent strawman. He went from a middle class situation (similar to thousands of people of people myself included) to the worlds richest man. He was not handed everything he has on a platter. He admittedly started with more than most but he still did infinitely better than anyone else born to similar level of advantage.

      If you think that this is ridiculous, then you have to concede that there are actually some structural obstacles that can’t be overcome by any amount of gumption.

      Their absolutely are structural obstacles just that these obstacles are infinitely less than previous. I mean by your logic we claim claim that the dictatorial control of Iran by the iatola is a structural obstacle and justify trumps actions in Iran hell we can justify the dropping of the nuclear bomb on Japan or go a step further and justify Hitlers actions as he confiscating property from an entire class of people and redistributed to those with less this still counts as removing structural obstacles regardless of the morality of such actions. Blind adherence to your argument takes us to a very dark place very quickly.

      And is it really just a lack of effort that explains why nobody born in Soweto in 1971 is a near-trillionaire?

      I want u to go to south Africa on Google street view and scroll back through time just looking at the streets and what u see. Then I want u to think about why the changes ur witnessing have happened and what changed into the period of time for which these changes happened (demographic changes might be a good indicator).

      • Doomsider@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        Elon Musk was not middle class. Unbelievably dumb statement. He grew up in one of the largest houses in Pretoria. Don’t get jealous though as his father was a child rapist. Like most wealthy people, rotten to the core.

      • myplacedk@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        My experience and all the people I’ve spoken to throughout my life.

        That only shows that SOME of the people who somehow relates to you, have options.

        Have you ever wondered why they don’t take those options? You might have missed something that prevents them.

        Or maybe better: Have you wondered about the people further away from you? I can guarantee you, millions of people literally don’t have any good options. If you haven’t met any, that only means you have met any.

        • I’ve met many people of many different nations of many different levels of wealth and success. Every single one of them in a shit scenario got their by choices they made.

          Why don’t I take those options? Cos I can read the statistics on everyone before me, I paid attention in school, I realised that drugs, debt, gambling, criminal behaviour etc don’t improve my life. I chose an education path and career that make it impossible for me to end up a brokie loser

          • myplacedk@lemmy.world
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            9 hours ago

            Lots of people don’t have access to any of the information sources you had, or the ability to take any of the options you did.

            You had plenty of good options, and you chose from those. Some people only have bad options. They pick bad options, because that’s all they have.