I think that the popular idea of inherited or generational wealth is getting a fat 6 figure check when a grandparent dies, which doesn't really happen to most of us. Rather, it looks like what the author describes -- a safety net that allows upper middle class kids to do things that their peers can't afford. As someone in the top quintile, you may not feel that much richer than the people in the next neighborhood over, but for a lot of folks, that dad could have said, "I'm sorry son, but I need to pay rent too." Instead, it was more of an annoyance at his son needing a handout. But these things accumulate over time, and this kid from a top-quintile family gets a better resume than his neighbor who washed dishes over the summer.
This is a decent article on a true problem, but there are two things I would mention that add context to the situation:<p>Genetics do matter. Adult intelligence appears to be somewhere between 50 and 80% determined by genetics. Thus we should expect over time <i>in a meritocracy</i> for smart kids to come from the same families. This is compounded by assortative mating by IQ, which has become far more widespread in the last forty years. So things are going to look nepotistic (and they always will be to some extent, see my second point below) when, in fact, this is a natural phenomena.<p>So, what? Just let the people who lose the genetic lottery rot? No. Instead, we might want to focus on having a more balanced economy where, rather than everyone striving to become part of the elite, a working class person can have a perfectly reasonable life. Jordan Peterson discusses this problem in this video:<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjs2gPa5sD0" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjs2gPa5sD0</a><p>Secondly, it is not immoral for parents to make large investments in their own children's lives. This behavior is no doubt somewhat driven by genetics (nearly everything appears to be at least 40% genetic) but it is also a learned behavior. Government programs that replace parental investment have been catastrophic for minorities in the united states: for example 73% of non-hispanic blacks are born out of wedlock. So delegating parental investment in children to the state, in the name of ending nepotism, may have some very detrimental effects that are difficult to predict.<p>All of this is to add context and suggest a different solution: making middle class non-elite life paths more attractive, not to deny that there is a problem.
Articles like these make me wonder about one metric. What "percentage" do you need to be in (top 20%, top 50%, top 1%), in the US, to be confident in having a secure retirement? And how has <i>that</i> changed over the decades?<p>Because when I see the top 20% as being described as making $112,000 or more, I don't see that as even close to feeling confident you'll have a secure retirement. Until <i>that</i> improves, I have a hard time criticizing a 20%-er or a 19%-er for having somewhat of an "every man for himself" attitude in getting ahead.
The author's story makes me incredibly grateful for the current situation for developing engineers. I went to a cheap state school and had paid internships. Also, we have a long way to go on sexism and discrimination, but there are countless fields that are far more closed.
At the end of the day I think very few people want to actually "pay" the price that a more equal society would entail, but are very happy to have others bear the burdens of "paying" for a redistribution of "opportunity".
Raising a privileged family takes just one generation to sacrifice.<p>As numerous financial books will testify, if you are frugal (no matter the income) and invest wisely, it is possible to accumulate some measure of fortune. If you teach your children to do the same (as they grow up in a frugal household), they will become the next tier of the pyramid.<p>I really, truly believe this. I was raised in a large family and inherited nothing of worth. I'm not done working yet, but I'm encouraged by the way things are progressing and have hopes all of my kids will go to college and emerge without a mountain of debt.<p>In America, the dream can be obtained. It will take time, though.