4 ms·

"From this crisis we face today - employers will recognize this fact and stop hiring bullshitters." If you are prepared to put money on that, I think that you

by nagrom 16y ago

"From this crisis we face today - employers will recognize this fact and stop hiring bullshitters." If you are prepared to put money on that, I think that you may end up poor ;-) Bullshitters are, as a class, the most successful people in history, I would guess. Politicians, high-ranking clergy, business men, aristocracy, etc. would mostly fall under that umberella, and have managed out society since it started. The last 100 years or so have been the most meritocratic we've ever seen, and I would be surprised if we don't slide back a little soon...

apsec112 16y ago
"The last 100 years or so have been the most meritocratic we've ever seen," Not true. Society nowadays in the US is actually relatively immobile, compared to the 19th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wealthiest_historical_figures#New_World http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wealthiest_historical_f... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vanderbilt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vanderbilt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jacob_Astor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jacob_Astor All five were from poor/middle class backgrounds. Compare to Bill Gates, whose father was a name partner in the largest law firm in Seattle, Preston, Gates & Ellis, and whose mother knew the CEO of IBM.
- mbergins 16y ago
  Those appear to be a list of anecdotes as opposed to a real analysis of who becomes wealthy and the means of their families in America. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with the social science literature to fix the reference problem, but at least from the survey work presented in "The Millionaire Next Door", many of the wealthy American surveyed there did not appear to be from family money.

by nagrom 16y ago

apsec112 16y ago

"The last 100 years or so have been the most meritocratic we've ever seen," Not true. Society nowadays in the US is actually relatively immobile, compared to the 19th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wealthiest_historical_figures#New_World http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wealthiest_historical_f... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vanderbilt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vanderbilt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jacob_Astor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jacob_Astor All five were from poor/middle class backgrounds. Compare to Bill Gates, whose father was a name partner in the largest law firm in Seattle, Preston, Gates & Ellis, and whose mother knew the CEO of IBM.

mbergins 16y ago
Those appear to be a list of anecdotes as opposed to a real analysis of who becomes wealthy and the means of their families in America. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with the social science literature to fix the reference problem, but at least from the survey work presented in "The Millionaire Next Door", many of the wealthy American surveyed there did not appear to be from family money.