Do you think that you agree or disagree with this statement...?

hi marina yes and no the social class determines the next phase of 1 generation ... my grandfather was a postman, he can afford to send his child up to primary school, my father was a driver ... he can afford to send his children to university .. we are now in proper jobs, we will bring up our children to be professionals ... we were lucky that our parents had good mindset .. some higher class people, due to their status, somethimes forget the education as the backbone for any successful people and when their children inherit the business they seem to let loose of the business and face problem.. It is though for the ones at lower class to suceed in life but as you mentioned, we have to grab when the opportunity knock, we cant be choosers we just grab what we have ... like my brother is a teacher, i am a small manager in a corporate firm while my brother is an engineer in a small factory ... we dont choose as our choice is limited we will ensure our children have better choices .. cheers

no, i dont agree with this statement.. i believe success depends on your mental attitude, strong will and determination... there are many examples of people who were born poor but have achieved a lot in life.. i dont remember but someone quoted that its not your fault if you are born poor.. but its entirely your mistake if you die poor...

I agree with it to an extent. If a person is born poor, it is usually very hard for that person to overcome their circumstances and become wealthy. I can tell you this from first-hand experience. I have been trying for years to get myself into a position to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck. However, I do know that it is possible for someone to make this happen, as I have seen instances where other people have managed to do it. As a general rule, it takes money to make money...I am sure most of us have heard this statement as well. Sometimes, though, people are able to pull themselves up from poverty to a place where they can afford to have anything they want. I actually know one man who has done it TWICE. The first time, his wife and he started out poor when they were married. He managed to work their way up to a position of owning his own company and being very successful. When she divorced him, he lost all of his things, and ended up bankrupt living in a camper trailer behind his brother's house. He lost his company and everything. All he really had was a few clothes. His ex-wife pretty well cleaned him out in the divorce. He started working and saving money. He continued to live in that camper for a while, then he managed to get a place of his own. It took a while, but he worked his way back up, and now owns another company he started, and lives in a really nice brick home on about 60 acres of land. I guess if someone can do it TWICE, surely some people should be able to do it at least once...

Sometimes. I think that some members of the very wealthy and the very poor both have a motivation to "do" something. Take Alan Sugar and Richard Branson for example. One was a barrow boy, the other public school etc. Those of us in the middle tend to spend our lives working for one of those two (discounting the public sector). The upper middle and upper classes get opportunities through education that perhaps others don't. Personally I think that these days it is more a case of what your approach to life is that dictates how financially successful you are rather than what class you are born into. Of course for many of us, money has become of lesser importance as we get older. Being fulfilled and happy is what counts. But you still have to pay the rent worse luck!

Well, I have to agree with it. Just like you have. The owner of the company I work for got it from his Dad and He is to pass it on to his kids and then open a second company as he has two kids. So what ever the daughter or son feel they can make and do that is what is to happen. I really don't think they will fail. But as we were told you can be anything you want. Well, you need the parents or a teacher to show you. Mine never did that and I got lost in the shuffle as I call it. I told my Dad I wanted to be a Lawyer he said yeah right you can't even to the dishes. He believed that woman were to be in the home and make less then there Husbands. Well, I wanted to be a housewife second then first. Both jobs never worked out.But true to corse I'm a printer just like My Mom was. Your friend onlydia. I know I got a little off track.

In a lot of ways I do agree with this idea about social classes. I really like your post today. It is thought provoking and it has stirred up thought with me. I believe that in certain social circles where there are people in higher professions such as doctors and lawyers it seems that the children are more susceptible to becoming professionals themselves and seem to have high aspirations. On the other hand there are children that come from humble beginning and because of the struggles and challenges they tend to want to attain greatness either for themselves or to make their families proud. It can be hard to really draw a deciding line in which what social class has a better change for success. I myself have come from a middle class family growing up and didn't attend college although I do still have aspirations at the age of forty to go to some kind of college and earn a degree. I guess it also depends on the mindset and how the child's upbringing may be. Parents that are either very wealthy or are almost destitute have the choice to bring the child up with strong beliefs and to be good mentors and guide children in the right direction. That is what a child needs is the attention and direction to get places in life.

I am from The U.S. where it doesn't matter where you come from, you can be or do anything.If you were born poor, you still can make it. It will take hard work and it may take a little longer but you Can make it.

Hello, marina321! I do agree with the statement. I believe that a poor child has way less opportunities than a rich child. And usually, rich children will grow rich, and poor children will grow poor. Of course, there are exceptions. This means that, if you are born poor, it doesn't mean you have to be poor forever. It means that you can work your way and become rich. And it also means that, if you were born rich, you won't be always like that. If you don't know how to handle the money, you might end up losing it in the long run. But yes, the social background really plays a big role in everybody's life. Respectfully, Munhozmib.

I both agree and disagree. I agree because the truth of the matter is that for those born in a higher social class, success is easier to achieve. They can go to college and concentrate on their studies without worrying about working a job to pay for college. They may know people- or have family members who do- to help them get jobs with top companies. Another reason the statement is true is that people believe it- it is what I would call a 'self- fulfilling prophecy.' It is true because people believe it is true and behave accordingly. In other words, those from the lower class believe that they can't succeed, so they don't bother trying. Conversely, those from upper classes believe success is expected, so they do it. That is not to say that there are no exceptions. Many people from lower classes have been successful, and many from upper classes have failed. On the other hand, I disagree, because it is often assumed that success should be measured by income and material possessions. I do not believe those things are the measure of success. My measure of success is whether I am happy with my life, if I am living it the best I can, whether I am proud of my accomplishments, have made personal progress and those kinds of things. Money and material things are a part of my measure of success, since money is necessary for things like shelter and food, but they are not the central focus, and are not even close to the most important factor. So, by these standards, social class has nothing to do with success. Anyone can be successful at building meaningful relationships, living their lives in a way that is fulfilling to themselves, and creating their own happiness.

I think I agree with you, I think the ones who were born into the higher class and who have always had the best of everything, and the ones who have never had to work hard for anything are spoiled. The ones who have never had those opportunities are more likely to succeed because they've had to work harder, and they know what its like not having the money for everything, and it makes them want to succeed so they can better their lives, and not have to worry about financial issues.

The answer to this can really depend upon your definition of "successful". I can assume that you are talking about financial success. I think in the US especially, we have seen people from ALL backgrouds achieve financial success. These same people however have often proven very unsuccessful in love, marriage, parenting, friendships, anger management, addiction management, generosity, etc. I think we focus too much on financial success in our culture and not enough on becoming successful in other more important areas of life.

I think the key word in your statement is largely. While there are people who can transcend social class, it's not as common as people want to believe. We hear more about those who transcend because it is not as common. It's not just a matter of money, either. Yes, those who are raised with more money have easier access to better schools, but they also start off with a better social network to help them advance and with differing social attitudes about so many of the things that make a person successful and different social expectations. For instance, our city has eight public high schools. Four of them have specific requirements for admission - and they actually probably offer all kids the best chance for success both academically and in later life, financially. The other four are essentially "neighborhood" schools. Two of them are in mostly poor/working class neighborhoods, two are in more affluent neighborhoods. The two in more affluent neighborhoods have better organized sports activities, club and extracurricular activities for students and receive regular visits from college recruiters. The focus in most classes in those schools is on college preparation, and both teachers and counselors assume that most of the students they teach will be taking SATs and applying to college. Neither of the other two schools even field a football team or a baseball team, though they do have a basketball team. The city has a crew team that draws from all the high schools - but the team doesn't even visit the two "poor schools" to recruit members. Most teachers and counselors assume that few of the students will take SATs or attend college - or even be able to afford the fees for taking the SATs, so they just don't even bring it up in most cases. When I ran an after school homework center in the city, I was always astounded by the number of high school kids from poor families who came in without even the most basic knowledge about how to apply for college, or what the requirements for college entry were. That's not to say that a college education is the only measure of success. On the other side of the scale, both of the poorer schools have fairly good work preparation programs - food service training, child care training, automotive courses and even IT and tech training and one of the more affluent schools doesn't offer even one vocational course. (There is a school in the city that focuses exclusively on vocational training - and it is generally regarded as the top school in the city, just for the record.) It is to say, though, that based JUST on what the public schools offer in terms of education, kids in the poor neighborhoods are being prepared to join the working class when they graduate, while those in the more affluent neighborhoods are being prepared to go on to higher education and join the "elite" business/law/medicine world. At the same time, growing up in a working class/poor neighborhood, kids also often grow up with specific attitudes about success and about their place in life. Many of them don't have any exposure to other attitudes and beliefs. They only know what they see around them. I don't believe that it's a hard and fast rule, and I do believe that it's easier to transcend social class in the US than just about anywhere else in the world, but it's not so easy and so common that you can completely discount the effect of the social class in which you are raised on your success in life. Thanks for such a stimulating discussion!

That is totally true, like you said a rich would do everything to make sure that his/her kids get the best education so that they will become rich too. One other thing if your daddy is rich then you could always go to school and learn how to manage businesses and come back to manage his businesses and when he get older then they become yours, this thing will continue even your kid's kids will have the same thing. I never seen anyone who is from a wealthy family suffering not getting a job or living a low life, they would mostly become somehow wealthy too and your statement is right. Even if the kid is dumb they can always be taken to get the highest educators around and they will be successful

Well I disagree. As what u become .. is all depends .. on ur attitude towards ur life. Though Social background does count to an extent. But Not the absolute criteria

Hmmm yes I would have to agree too. It’s the complete environment around a child which really moulds his/her future. It has often been seen that a family of high academic achievers always have the same urge in their successive generations to keep the family flag flying high. Similarly business communities have more and more of their children coming into business. There’s the proverbial black sheep of course and similarly you would sometimes find a gem in places where we least expect. There have been many instances of children from extremely poor families, studying from the light of street lamps, who have gone on to become illustrious members of society. What amazes me, however, is the genetic factor. I mean perseverance can get a person only this far and not further…but some children from the lowest rungs of society have made it big in profession and academics only coz they were just brilliant. So is intelligent genetic? Then what about their parents?

I dun totally agree nor totally disagree too.. IT depends on alot fo factors and each individuals.. For ple whom doesn't know how to make use of those opportunities, regardless of how many they have, it's of no use too.. But for those whom knows how to grab and cherish, one opportunity will be enough for them to succeed ^_^ hehe

I disagree with that statement, because Iv known many people who have been born and grown up in very bad circumstances, and they have risen above there circumstances and want on to became very successful, and Iv also known people who have been born to a wealthy and successful family and had a good educational background and later became poor and unhappy. my point is that life is what you make it and no particular life circumstance or social statues can garutees that a person will be successful or happy in life, sure I think a person that has been born to a certain social class may have slightly better odds for a happy and successful life, but not in every case. by the way very compelling discussion.

No. I do not agree. The social class one is born into does not largely determine how successful one will be. Those born into poverty can achieve great things financially and otherwise. For example, many wellknown celebrities came from poverty and have not only risen to stardom through ultilizing their talent, but have become a financial success, as well. An example here is Operah Winfrey. She came from poverty, and rose to great heights through educating herself, and as a result she is now the wealthiest and most successful person in show business, in addition to being a successful entrepeneur.

I beg to disagree on that statement. Simply because of the following reasons: When you were born to be a rich person, it does not necessarily means that you'll be a succesful person as you grow up. Success cannot be measure on the money that you have but instead it can measure on the things that you had accomplished. I guess the reason why majority of succesful person came from a poor family because they all want to change the way of their living and they are tired of being a poor so they strive hard, doing everything just o be succesful. On the other hand, those rich people have lots of money so they were not that very interested of working hard to get what they do want simply because they all do have what they need and no need for them to work hard for that. I just want to say this: A succesful person can only be called a sucesful one if he/she achieved what he/she wants in his/her life. Thank you!

there is a saying that oppertunities often knock our doors i strongly belive in this so i wait for an oppurtinity to come but there is also another saying that we have to create oppurtinuties for ourselves