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Poor kids who do things right don't do better than rich kids who do things wrong

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Poor kids who do things right don't do better than rich kids who do things wrong

#61
post #49

But, of course, it's not just a matter of dollars and cents. It's also a matter of letters and words. Affluent parents talk to their kids three more hours a week on average than poor parents, which is critical during a child's formative early years. That's why, as Stanford professor Sean Reardon explains, "rich students are increasingly entering kindergarten much better prepared to succeed in school than middle-class…

Ever seen the movie "Trading Places"?

In seriousness, it's frustrating that you're making such a bold assertion about causality. There are more male executives than female. Are you saying that's caused by genetics?

Re: Poor kids who do things right don't do better than rich kids who do things wrong

#63
I think it also has a lot to do with the way different "classes" of people like to interact with each other. People can tell when you're from a different social group by the way you act. If you're a lower-income person interviewing for a job at a company run by more affluent people, there might be a culture clash which could hurt your chances of being hired. I think I've experienced this a couple of times.

Re: Poor kids who do things right don't do better than rich kids who do things wrong

#64
There's a lot of conclusions being drawn here and not much data analysis.

Just going off the chart, it seems that poor college grads are more likely to be in the top half of the income distribution, while rich college dropouts are more likely to be in the bottom half. Isn't that good news as far as social mobility goes?

Re: Poor kids who do things right don't do better than rich kids who do things wrong

#65

I think it also has a lot to do with the way different "classes" of people like to interact with each other. People can tell when you're from a different social group by the way you act. If you're a lower-income person interviewing for a job at a company run by more affluent people, there might be a culture clash which could hurt your chances of being hired. I think I've experienced this a couple of times.

What was your experience like?

Re: Poor kids who do things right don't do better than rich kids who do things wrong

#66
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. I strongly suggest to speak with some actual teachers, instead of blindly relying on ridiculous propaganda. The problem is not the system, the problem is social mobility. Poor kids don't do well in school because their families and their environment don't value education. They perceive (correctly, BTW, from a statistical perspective) that if you're born poor, there isn't much you can do. You're gonna die poo…

> Poor kids don't do well in school because their families and their environment don't value education. Have you considered the possibility that the educational system doesn't value the needs of the poor?

And if it did, how would that work or operate?

Re: Poor kids who do things right don't do better than rich kids who do things wrong

#68
post #21
post #2

It sucks, but what's the solution? Because let's face it, the primary purpose of "being rich" is to provide for one's family, at least from my point of view. If I work my ass off it's to make sure I can help my kids do better than I did. What's the point of being "wealthy" if it's not to help your kids have a better life than your own? I don't want to sound insensitive. All these studies about kids born in poverty an…

Wealth is associated with having more kids, not just weather kids. Which provides an evolutionary incentive on it's own.

on its own.

Re: Poor kids who do things right don't do better than rich kids who do things wrong

#69

This is presented as if this opinion journalist found a causative relationship when he's done no such thing. He's just looking at correlations and then shoehorning in his favorite explanations (glass floors, glass ceilings, diploma mills). Take a look at his previous articles and maybe you'll identify a trend: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/matt-obrien/

How is that? The main thrust of the article (including the chart) comes from an academic source which doesn't appear to be opinion-based at all.

Re: Poor kids who do things right don't do better than rich kids who do things wrong

#70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"A lot of people work their ass off just to pay the rent and feed their kids." We should also be questioning why someone that can barely pay the rent decides to have another kid (or even a kid at all). Financial management should be a bigger part of our education system. "Working your ass off does not imply wealth. That's the problem." It has never and should never imply wealth. When I was in college, I worked my ass…

Obtaining wealth is mostly timing/luck. There are plenty of hard working, well disciplined, intelligent poor people. There are plenty of lazy, stupid rich people. There's virtually no correlation between any of the things you named and wealth. The question then becomes how much should a lucky person be "rewarded," or how much should an unlucky person be "punished." A lot of people feel that being unlucky shouldn't me…

Where's your source for all these assertions?
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