Why working hard doesn’t mean you can do anything

“Although [the Privileged Poor] have developed, to borrow from the sociologist Shamus Khan, an ease of privilege, they have not entirely entered the world of those who have known privilege from birth; their security in knowing how to navigate elite spaces is punctuated by poverty and its often debilitating corollaries”

– Anthony Abraham Jack in The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students

Mark Zuckerberg was a Harvard dropout. The Meta co-founder, whose net worth is over $42.3 billion, never hid the fact he did not complete college. In fact, most probably would not consider that an interesting fact about him. It’s accepted that Zuckerberg, alongside the likes of Gates and Jobs, did not need a degree to succeed due to their natural intelligence and impressive work ethic. While creating Facebook, Instagram, and now Meta certainly took a degree of hard work, Zuckerberg had a few advantages along the way. He was born in Dobbs Ferry, NY, where the median household income is $145,104, over double the median household income in the state of New York. Additionally, both his parents held doctoral degrees, with his mother working as a psychiatrist and his father as a dentist. Finally, Zuckerberg attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, which consistently ranks in the top 5 private schools in the United States, and boasts a tuition rate of over $60,000 a year (not including books!)

The way the American federal government is designed allows for states and localities to have primary control over systems of education and school curriculum. Because of this lack of uniformity, states fall all across the board in regards to test scores, comprehension, and information given about specific topics. The American education system has a lot to do with privilege– when and where someone is born can have major effects on the quality of their education.

For students who were taken from predominantly underserved communities and “funneled into private schools” (the Phillips Exeters of the world)  in an attempt to remedy education disparities and provide more opportunities for marginalized students, the impacts of different upbringings were still present. American society can be defined by extreme  differences in socioeconomic classes. In a 2020 report, Pew Research Center noted that “the wealth gap among upper-income families and middle- and lower-income families is sharper than the income gap and is growing more rapidly.” Social stratification essentially argues that rich people have rich children, and vice versa for their less affluent counterparts. Many institutions in American society require insider knowledge of a “hidden curriculum” necessary to succeed. For example, terminology such as “office hours” or “syllabi” could be unfamiliar to a student who hasn’t grown up in spaces where they were privy to this information. Growing up in privilege also allows predominately affluent, white students to feel comfortable navigating spaces where a student from a contrasting background may feel insecure.  Differences in classes, which often fall along racial lines, result in different educational and career opportunities.

Minorities are faced with additional challenges in succeeding in American society, despite being qualified. It comes as a surprise to many to know that downtown Los Angeles was bought and created by a formerly enslaved Black woman, Biddy Mason. According to a Yes! Magazine article honoring Black woman innovators, Mason was “eventually…able to buy 10 acres for $250, on which she built rental homes, and eventually a larger commercial building she rented out. That land she invested in and developed is now the heart of downtown L.A.” Despite petitioning her own freedom from slavery and being an early developer in America’s second largest city, Mason was buried in an unmarked grave.

Today, Los Angeles is characterized by the rise of celebrities and social media influencers. Hollywood, like all systems in America, is inherently rooted in white supremacy. Within the movie and TV scene, many actors have famous parents to thank for their natural slide into stardom. Hailey Bieber, for example, is actor and comedian Alec Baldwin’s niece, and is now married to Justin Bieber. She herself claimed that “my dad and all of his brothers have done this. This is my family business.” Nepotism is not uncommon within celebrity families, and, in today’s society, a new type of famous person has emerged– the influencer.

Addison Rae, a former Louisiana State University student turned social media influencer, singer, and actress, became famous through viral videos on TikTok. TikTok influencers are on the rise, often moving to LA and living in content houses together. TikTok has allowed for creators like Addision and Charli D’Amelio to rise to fame virtually overnight. All the while, the app has been under fire for suppressing content made by Black creators. Charli and Addison were both criticizedfor appropriating dances created by Black creators, and showcasing them on high profile talk shows such as Jimmy Fallon. Furthermore, many Black creators have argued that TikTok’s “For You Page” algorithm has disadvantaged their community by refusing to highlight their content.   Black content creators work hard, just as other influencers do, but receive less attention, especially in regard to important issues such as racial activism. For example, TikTok issued a statement in June 2020 explaining the “technical glitch” that “made it temporarily appear as if posts uploaded using #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd would receive 0 views.” TikTok’s Chief Operating Officier, Vannessa Pappas stated that TikTok “acknowledge[s] and apologize[s] to our Black creators and community who have felt unsafe, unsupported, or suppressed.” For content creators consistently getting their content blocked from view, internet success is an uphill battle. For students who aren’t privileged enough to attend Exeter, education is the same way. Once education becomes more equitable, the chains of social stratification can begin to become unraveled, allowing for increased social mobility of underrepresented people groups who have previously been denied a seat at the table. The authors in “Why People Stay Poor” noted that “poverty traps are preventing people from making full use of their abilities. Redistributing capital is one possible way to address the mismatch. The alternative is to remove the obstacles that prevent the owners of capital from hiring individuals to work with their assets. This requires progress on our understanding of the core reasons for contractual imperfections, and evidence on policies that can eliminate them” But sure, working hard can get you anything!