I'm a big fan of Rowan Atkinson's TV series Blackadder. It follows the Blackadder family over many generations. "As the generations progress, each Blackadder be

I'm a big fan of Rowan Atkinson's TV series Blackadder. It follows the Blackadder family over many generations. "As the generations progress, each Blackadder becomes increasingly clever and perceptive, while the family's social status steadily erodes." Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackadder http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackadder I used to work on Wall St., and in my experience wealth and intelligence aren't correlated. Luck is more important. Family's socioeconomic status is important. What school one got one's degree from has something to do with it (but not good grades or what one's degree was in). And, unfortunately, being "ethically challenged" was often the key--scammers and fraudsters have a much easier time making the Big Time. RE: Tom Perkins... In any economic downturn, there will be scapegoats. The poor scapegoat the rich. The rich scapegoat the poor. Social conservatives scapegoat foreigners, non-Christians, women, gays, non-whites...anyone not like themselves. It's not simply that nobody likes to take personal responsibility or that it's easier to blame the other guy... In the West we associate self-criticism with depression and anxiety, and we seek to suppress it. Source: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB124511712673817527 http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB124511712673817527 Worse, self-criticism is associated with Maoist Communism. Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/28/china-self-criticism-mao/2883605/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/28/china-se... However, there's certainly a tradition of self-criticism in the West, rooted in its canonical texts: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7:3-5&version=RSV http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7:3-5&ve... My point is that we need to be a little more self-critical and a little less quick to scapegoat others for our problems. A little self-criticism might go a long way to making us both smarter and wealthier!