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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am not a practicing social worker, but have a social work degree.  One of my best professors told us to remember that those who "beat the odds" are the outliers and not the standard-bearers.  We don't say that because people go to the  Olympics that anyone who skis or dives or ice skates should be able to attain that level of performance.[/quote]

Exactly.
Studies show that a person born in 1986 in the lowest SES quintile has only a 9% of moving up to the top. So congrats to those who manage to do it, but it less than 10% of poor people. I would not be surprised to see that figure shrink further as that income gap -- and services gap -- widens.

https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21595437-america-no-less-socially-mobile-it-was-generation-ago-mobility-measured[/quote]
And you shouldn't have to be exceptional to have a decent life.  There are plenty of irresponsible people born to wealthy parents--the consequences of their mistakes are minimized by the wealth or connections or status of their families.  Poor people don't have that cushion.  Even a minor mistake, or even a complete accident, can totally derail their lives.

Yes, some exceptional people manage to escape poverty.  Almost all of the time, they had at least one adult who was willing and able to help them, mentor them, encourage their ambitions, explain how to get scholarships, etc.  Without that, even an exceptional person can find it too hard to get out.   The hand you are dealt matters a lot.  Yes, how you play your hand matters, but you can only do so much.  [/quote]

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