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Really? So the success story is only valid if they start with zero dollars, crippled, and recently diagnosed with a terminal illness? These are people who grew

Really? So the success story is only valid if they start with zero dollars, crippled, and recently diagnosed with a terminal illness? These are people who grew up in a rich country sure, and used every advantage they could. However, their daddies didn't fund their dreams. They only had the same resources that everyone on this board has. The fact that they took it, and turned it into a billion dollars is something to be respected. No one here is taunting the poor.

dools 16y ago
I didn't say that these success stories are invalid, but I do think that they're told in a disempowering way. The focus of the story is not "The amazing story of 20 billionaires and how they found success" but the fact that they started with nothing. However this (and every other story I've seen like it - at least that I can remember) glosses over the true practicality of those early stages. Larry Ellison had some odd jobs then founded a software company. My original post complains that about the "scale" of the story - because it ends at 1,000,000,000 the differences of $10,000 or even one or two million dollars sometimes that people were fortunate enough to have in order to fund their enterprise are too small to register but they're incredibly important. Also in response to: They only had the same resources that everyone on this board has My guess is that the majority of people on this board aren't as poor as the people I'm referring to when I say "taunting the poor". I don't by any means consider myself poor and I'm not complaing that I feel taunted by this, but perpetrating this rags to riches story over and over again and saying that people start "with nothing" is demoralising to the truly disempowered. I think it would be more appropriate to tell these stories in an empowering way: where very minute practical details of day to day survival were addressed whilst telling the story of how Larry Ellison "founded a software company" after "starting with nothing" then "having odd jobs".
Locke1689 16y ago
These are people who grew up in a rich country sure, and used every advantage they could. However, their daddies didn't fund their dreams. They only had the same resources that everyone on this board has. Maybe, maybe not. I have had many advantages in my life mostly given to me by chance. My family is fairly wealthy. I attend an extremely and prestigious and expensive college which is paid for by my parents, leaving me with no student debt. Most importantly I have won a genetic lottery purely by chance. While most studies say that there is a very large component of environment in innate intelligence, most also say that there is a significant genetic component, both of which influence my testing in the 99th percentile of most standardized tests. Bill Gates seems to have had some similar advantages. So, if my daddy does fund my dreams, does that make my hard work worth less?
- dools 16y ago
  So, if my daddy does fund my dreams, does that make my hard work worth less? Just the opposite! I'd say your hard work will be worth far more than average :)
- nestlequ1k 16y ago
  Nope, hard work is appreciated from both rich and poor. But your advantages in life means that no one is going to write an article about how you overcomed obstacles to succeed. It's sad, but I'd take your position and the tradeoffs any day.

dools 16y ago

I didn't say that these success stories are invalid, but I do think that they're told in a disempowering way. The focus of the story is not "The amazing story of 20 billionaires and how they found success" but the fact that they started with nothing. However this (and every other story I've seen like it - at least that I can remember) glosses over the true practicality of those early stages. Larry Ellison had some odd jobs then founded a software company. My original post complains that about the "scale" of the story - because it ends at 1,000,000,000 the differences of $10,000 or even one or two million dollars sometimes that people were fortunate enough to have in order to fund their enterprise are too small to register but they're incredibly important. Also in response to: They only had the same resources that everyone on this board has My guess is that the majority of people on this board aren't as poor as the people I'm referring to when I say "taunting the poor". I don't by any means consider myself poor and I'm not complaing that I feel taunted by this, but perpetrating this rags to riches story over and over again and saying that people start "with nothing" is demoralising to the truly disempowered. I think it would be more appropriate to tell these stories in an empowering way: where very minute practical details of day to day survival were addressed whilst telling the story of how Larry Ellison "founded a software company" after "starting with nothing" then "having odd jobs".

Locke1689 16y ago

These are people who grew up in a rich country sure, and used every advantage they could. However, their daddies didn't fund their dreams. They only had the same resources that everyone on this board has. Maybe, maybe not. I have had many advantages in my life mostly given to me by chance. My family is fairly wealthy. I attend an extremely and prestigious and expensive college which is paid for by my parents, leaving me with no student debt. Most importantly I have won a genetic lottery purely by chance. While most studies say that there is a very large component of environment in innate intelligence, most also say that there is a significant genetic component, both of which influence my testing in the 99th percentile of most standardized tests. Bill Gates seems to have had some similar advantages. So, if my daddy does fund my dreams, does that make my hard work worth less?

dools 16y ago
So, if my daddy does fund my dreams, does that make my hard work worth less? Just the opposite! I'd say your hard work will be worth far more than average :)
nestlequ1k 16y ago
Nope, hard work is appreciated from both rich and poor. But your advantages in life means that no one is going to write an article about how you overcomed obstacles to succeed. It's sad, but I'd take your position and the tradeoffs any day.