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@GrahamDowns@mastodon.africa

Post #2843589

2026-03-14 20:25 UTC

@NaClKnight@c.im @clarity@xoxo.zone I was being a lot simpler than that. There are legitimate stories of people (I even know one personally) who grew up, privileged sure, by the modern definition of the word, who started working menial jobs, but were lucky enough to have to have some money squirreled away. Maybe by inheritance, maybe by a lucky night at the casino and they had the fortitude to know when to stop, maybe just by virtue of their upbringing. But they had ambition, and no desire to be a member of the working class for their whole lives. So they bought stocks. Or a house which they never intended to live in. And then a few years later, another. And another. While still living in their parents' homes, or perhaps in a relatively modest flat, while driving a relatively modest car which they serviced themselves. While continuing to squirrel sway money, reinvesting what they earned from their investments, until one day they retired at 40, never having to work again. They were initially privileged, then they got lucky, but they worked hard (perhaps by a different definition of "work", sure), but they were able to capitalize on that luck and privilege. Should they now be punished for it? While other people blew away their luck on expensive cars, restaurants, maybe drugs, and generally extravagent lifestyles, making sure that they would always end up right back where they started, over and over again.... It is possible, with a few strokes of luck, and a lot of discipline, for the average person to break their way out. But for some reason, we like to vilify those people, because we tend to believe that it can never happen to us. And if we can't do it, we don't think anyone should be allowed to do it, so we label those people as "the enemy".

Replies (1)

  • @NaClKnight@c.im 2026-03-14 21:45

    @GrahamDowns@mastodon.africa Sure! Please allow me to further simplify. Asking 'What if someone makes it out of the working class? Are they a bad person?' misses the point. Your premise "It is possible, with a few strokes of luck, and a lot of discipline, for the average person to break their way out." Is increasingly difficult and increasingly unlikely. We have clear, unambiguous evidence of the ownership class reducing the possibility of someone "breaking out" as a matter of policy choice. Things are getting worse. Not better. Fewer people have more money, societally. Categorically. The amount of "luck" and "discipline" needed have increased measurably and dramatically within my lifetime, let alone my parents' lifetime. That's the point. Pretending it's as easy as budgeting well is disingenuous. The original post is about categories, not anecdotes. But if you want a specific answer? If your friend strikes it rich and then uses that wealth to advocate for policies that further entrench the wealth they have and disadvantage workers, then yes, that's villainous. @clarity@xoxo.zone

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