Are you a "Dream Hoarder"? I am, apparently

[Anonymous]

Apologies if this has been posted before but just saw a recent report on "Dream Hoarding" from Brookings - How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do about It

https://www.brookings.edu/book/dream-hoarders/

So there is a game on that page you can play to see if you are preventing other people from accessing the "American Dream". Played it and apparently I am a dream hoarder because I wouldn't hesitate to use my contacts to get my child a good internship or a college admittance.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

I'd be a dream hoarder if we had kids, but we're upper middle class and child-free. I guess our enormous tax bill and lack of resource consumption means we're contributing.

What a load of shit this is.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I have donated to my alma mater when my child was a senior in high school. Yes, I have gotten my children summer jobs through my connections. How differentiated are 20 year olds in skill sets anyway?

No problem with multifamily housing in the neighborhood, other than traffic congestion.

[Anonymous]

I'm a dream hoarder as well, for the same reason as you, OP. I do find the "test" overly simplistic.

And FYI, being childfree and declaring yourself to consume less than others is not a contribution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be a dream hoarder if we had kids, but we're upper middle class and child-free. I guess our enormous tax bill and lack of resource consumption means we're contributing.

What a load of shit this is.

Of course it's crap. Just because I help my child succeed doesn't mean it's a zero sum game and no poorer children can succeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apologies if this has been posted before but just saw a recent report on "Dream Hoarding" from Brookings - How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do about It

https://www.brookings.edu/book/dream-hoarders/

So there is a game on that page you can play to see if you are preventing other people from accessing the "American Dream". Played it and apparently I am a dream hoarder because I wouldn't hesitate to use my contacts to get my child a good internship or a college admittance.

Thoughts?

I guess I'm an unabashed dream hoarder. I wouldn't donate to my alma mater to win favor with admissions, but I'd definitely ask my friend for help with an internship for my kid.

No one helped me, and I see it as a reward of my success and hard work to help my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be a dream hoarder if we had kids, but we're upper middle class and child-free. I guess our enormous tax bill and lack of resource consumption means we're contributing.

What a load of shit this is.

Of course it's crap. Just because I help my child succeed doesn't mean it's a zero sum game and no poorer children can succeed.

It kind of does in the author's logic, because if your contacts help your less qualified child get an internship, then this internship cannot go to a smarter but less connected kid. Same with college admissions. There is a finite number of those so it's a zero sum game.

[Anonymous]

It's not what you know its who you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I have donated to my alma mater when my child was a senior in high school. Yes, I have gotten my children summer jobs through my connections. How differentiated are 20 year olds in skill sets anyway?

No problem with multifamily housing in the neighborhood, other than traffic congestion.

I'd have a problem with multifamily housing in my neighborhood if it affected my quality of life and the value of my house. I mean, if I wanted to live near multifamily residences, I would have bought there to begin with.

So do you think this book is a bit demonizing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: It's not what you know its who you know.

The updated version of this "it's not who you know, it's who knows you."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I have donated to my alma mater when my child was a senior in high school. Yes, I have gotten my children summer jobs through my connections. How differentiated are 20 year olds in skill sets anyway?

No problem with multifamily housing in the neighborhood, other than traffic congestion.

I'd have a problem with multifamily housing in my neighborhood if it affected my quality of life and the value of my house. I mean, if I wanted to live near multifamily residences, I would have bought there to begin with.

So do you think this book is a bit demonizing?

Is it possible that it SHOULD be demonizing. The growing wealth gap in the United States isn't just bad for poor kids. It's bad for the country. We literally cannot continue on this path and expect to have a functioning economy or democracy. So, yeah, perhaps it is demonizing, but perhaps it is time that UMC folks start working toward the common good rather than just the good of their own progeny.

[Anonymous]

Think about it in context with this recent David Brooks article

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/opinion/how-we-are-ruining-america.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fdavid-brooks&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

Ignore the dumb sandwich part

Basically almost any normal human will do whatever they can to help their children.

This to me is also the definition of privilege

Making it about race instead of class is not surprising but distracts from the real issues that involves class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I have donated to my alma mater when my child was a senior in high school. Yes, I have gotten my children summer jobs through my connections. How differentiated are 20 year olds in skill sets anyway?

No problem with multifamily housing in the neighborhood, other than traffic congestion.

I'd have a problem with multifamily housing in my neighborhood if it affected my quality of life and the value of my house. I mean, if I wanted to live near multifamily residences, I would have bought there to begin with.

So do you think this book is a bit demonizing?

Is it possible that it SHOULD be demonizing. The growing wealth gap in the United States isn't just bad for poor kids. It's bad for the country. We literally cannot continue on this path and expect to have a functioning economy or democracy. So, yeah, perhaps it is demonizing, but perhaps it is time that UMC folks start working toward the common good rather than just the good of their own progeny.

This. Whenever something makes me really defensive I know I need to take a hard look at myself to see why it struck a nerve and what I can do about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I have donated to my alma mater when my child was a senior in high school. Yes, I have gotten my children summer jobs through my connections. How differentiated are 20 year olds in skill sets anyway?

No problem with multifamily housing in the neighborhood, other than traffic congestion.

I'd have a problem with multifamily housing in my neighborhood if it affected my quality of life and the value of my house. I mean, if I wanted to live near multifamily residences, I would have bought there to begin with.

So do you think this book is a bit demonizing?

Is it possible that it SHOULD be demonizing. The growing wealth gap in the United States isn't just bad for poor kids. It's bad for the country. We literally cannot continue on this path and expect to have a functioning economy or democracy. So, yeah, perhaps it is demonizing, but perhaps it is time that UMC folks start working toward the common good rather than just the good of their own progeny.

This. Whenever something makes me really defensive I know I need to take a hard look at myself to see why it struck a nerve and what I can do about it.

So will you really NOT help your child get a good internship or use your contacts for his/her benefits? Would you say, no, Sally, your application should go into the common pool, I COULD call someone but I won't?

[Anonymous]

It's silly to pretend that only wealthy people use their contacts to help their kids. That is completely not true.