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It's amazing how this works, I've been Paying some attention to this stuff for some time, and it is mostly like that. I've observed 3rd generation families of w
by omegant 13y ago
It's amazing how this works, I've been Paying some attention to this stuff for some time, and it is mostly like that. I've observed 3rd generation families of wealthy landlords and/or bankers (the ones that made the fortune). It's just anecdotal, but the ones that put more effort and attention on education and hardwork (not having access to the money till they are out of the university and have proved their capabilities) are the ones able to mainatain or increase the wealth of the family. On the other hand, those that just surf their lives through the existing money, are able to put themselves down the ladder at surprising speed (like 15 years once they get access to the principal of the money) their sons will be low middle class (or mileuristas as we say in Spain).
All this is obvious of course, but It's interesting to follow this people's evolution. The ones loosing it don't have a clue of what's happening to them.
Edit: some typos and sentences.
- swombat 13y agoCouldn't agree more on education. Putting a strong emphasis on educating your children to themselves be successful must surely be a strong success factor for them - and something they're likely to do in turn for their own children. Conversely, neglecting your children's education is also likely to be passed on, and also likely to have significant effect. By "education" I don't just mean what happens at school - most school systems provide only the thinnest veneer of "education", which includes many things not taught at school, like critical thinking, social skills, being widely read, broad general knowledge, the habit of trying to solve problems yourself, and many other features of people in "elite" positions. For example, one might notice the strange preponderance of Jewish people in those "elite" positions, both academic and artistic and commercial and political. This is perhaps more easily understood when you know that the Jewish culture places enormous focus on educating the next generation and on critical thinking, probably because of thousands of years of history where Jews might be chased out of their homes by mobs with pitchforks and torches, and leave with nothing but what was in their heads. In that context, social mobility is total: you rise or fall to the level of what you can carry inside your skull.
- ckuehne 13y ago"This is perhaps more easily understood when you know that the Jewish culture places enormous focus on educating the next generation and on critical thinking" Or maybe it is even better understood in terms of genetic differences: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jewish_intelligence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jewish_intelligence.
- lepukowsky 13y agoThat makes no sense. How could one group possibly slowly evolve over a great period of time to be any different than anyone else?
- ckuehne 13y agoWhat exactly do you think "makes no sense"? That two groups could evolve different traits over time? If so, how would you explain differences in skin color between West Africans and Northern Europeans? Or differences in lactose tolerance between different ethnic groups [1]? [1] http://www.foodreactions.org/intolerance/lactose/prevalence.html http://www.foodreactions.org/intolerance/lactose/prevalence....
- MadDog55 13y agoHilariously, I think he is just high. Read through his other posts.
- lepukowsky 13y agoBecause I live in a western liberal democracy and have been indoctrinated to believe that differences between cultures have no qualitative bearing, they are merely choices among equal values, and as such I cannot possibly comprehend such blatant facts. Please tell me you knew I was being sarcastic...
- ckuehne 13y agoWell, I was going to add "EDIT: Or are you just being sarcastic?". Twice. But I didn't. After all, it's Hacker News.