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Education is only going to get more important with progress. It's such a shame that in the US, you have to be rich first before you even get a chance to prove

Education is only going to get more important with progress. It's such a shame that in the US, you have to be rich first before you even get a chance to prove yourself.

babesh 8y ago
Its designed that way. How else are the rich going to preserve their wealth?
- ralusek 8y ago
  You live in a cartoon. There isn't some collective of rich white men ensuring that we keep people uneducated so that they can preserve their wealth. Wealth is not a zero sum game. Companies like Google and Apple don't benefit and get to keep their wealth by having an uneducated population.
  - Ma8ee 8y ago
    A functioning wellfare state requires that you tax the rich. If everyone should get the same opportunities as the rich kid, their parents need to help paying also for the poor kids' opportunities.
  - lern_too_spel 8y ago
    Rich parents have the time and money to push for better schools. Companies have little to do with it. Even in Google's hometown, the elementary school with the most low income kids has lead in its drinking water. https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2018/02/09/elevated-lead-levels-found-in-theuerkauf-water https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2018/02/09/elevated-lead-level...
  - babesh 8y ago
    You are wrong. Betsy DeVos Donald Trump Koch brothers They promote for profit schools but the vouchers they propose wouldn't cover the cost of better private schools. Google Koch pro school choice voucher Arizona. 90% voucher of previous cost.
  - babesh 8y ago
    Wealth is a catch-all for all sorts of things. Some forms of wealth behave more like zero sum games (when resources are limited or where network effects means that winner takes all). Other forms of wealth are less like that (knowledge?). Even some forms of knowledge seem to be zero sum (having nuclear weapons and preventing your enemy from having them).
JepZ 8y ago
How about proving yourself by getting rich anyway? And what are you proving if you started with good chances? This comment is not meant to insult anyone, even if it may sound like that. It is meant as giving an alternative perspective to the problem. I know that in the US it is a lot harder to get rich if your parents aren't, but I also think that giving up, because the chances aren't fair, isn't helping anyone.
- tempodox 8y ago
  > ... giving up ... You are putting words in my mouth. I was talking about conditions surrounding education, not about consequences or conclusions any individual might draw from them. And “giving up” is only one of many possible conclusions. > what are you proving if you started with good chances? You are still competing with others who “started with good chances”. Poorer people still suffer disadvantages that have nothing to do with their capabilities. Having rich parents is not your merit. > How about proving yourself by getting rich anyway? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse? Is getting rich the only, or most important, goal in scope?

Education is only going to get more important with progress. It's such a shame that in the US, you have to be rich first before you even get a chance to prove yourself.

babesh 8y ago

Its designed that way. How else are the rich going to preserve their wealth?

ralusek 8y ago
You live in a cartoon. There isn't some collective of rich white men ensuring that we keep people uneducated so that they can preserve their wealth. Wealth is not a zero sum game. Companies like Google and Apple don't benefit and get to keep their wealth by having an uneducated population.
- Ma8ee 8y ago
  A functioning wellfare state requires that you tax the rich. If everyone should get the same opportunities as the rich kid, their parents need to help paying also for the poor kids' opportunities.
- lern_too_spel 8y ago
  Rich parents have the time and money to push for better schools. Companies have little to do with it. Even in Google's hometown, the elementary school with the most low income kids has lead in its drinking water. https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2018/02/09/elevated-lead-levels-found-in-theuerkauf-water https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2018/02/09/elevated-lead-level...
- babesh 8y ago
  You are wrong. Betsy DeVos Donald Trump Koch brothers They promote for profit schools but the vouchers they propose wouldn't cover the cost of better private schools. Google Koch pro school choice voucher Arizona. 90% voucher of previous cost.
- babesh 8y ago
  Wealth is a catch-all for all sorts of things. Some forms of wealth behave more like zero sum games (when resources are limited or where network effects means that winner takes all). Other forms of wealth are less like that (knowledge?). Even some forms of knowledge seem to be zero sum (having nuclear weapons and preventing your enemy from having them).

JepZ 8y ago

How about proving yourself by getting rich anyway? And what are you proving if you started with good chances? This comment is not meant to insult anyone, even if it may sound like that. It is meant as giving an alternative perspective to the problem. I know that in the US it is a lot harder to get rich if your parents aren't, but I also think that giving up, because the chances aren't fair, isn't helping anyone.

tempodox 8y ago
> ... giving up ... You are putting words in my mouth. I was talking about conditions surrounding education, not about consequences or conclusions any individual might draw from them. And “giving up” is only one of many possible conclusions. > what are you proving if you started with good chances? You are still competing with others who “started with good chances”. Poorer people still suffer disadvantages that have nothing to do with their capabilities. Having rich parents is not your merit. > How about proving yourself by getting rich anyway? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse? Is getting rich the only, or most important, goal in scope?