
Seth Walsh
The man in the mirror is my only threat
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- Joined
- Jan 12, 2020
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Birth lottery fixes 80 % of lifetime outcomes.
• Capital access – family assets, private schooling, zero‑interest loans → compound; average worker never catches up.
• Network gatekeeping – internships, referrals, partner‑track sponsorship reserved for in‑club surnames.
• Accent & codes – speech patterns, hobbies, holiday spots signal rank; wrong signals block advancement before merit is seen.
• Credential laundering – elite universities convert inherited status into “achievement” that HR can justify.
• Risk insulation – upper class fails safely (family bailouts, reputational umbrellas); lower class failure = permanent scar.
• Legal + political sway – donations, board seats, legacy admissions perpetuate dominance under the guise of openness.
• Upward mobility myth – exceptional rags‑to‑riches stories marketed as proof the game is fair; statistically negligible.
• Downward stickiness – marrying, socialising, and even zip‑code living patterns lock classes in self‑reinforcing loops.
Net: class isn’t a ladder; it’s a caste system with better PR.
• Capital access – family assets, private schooling, zero‑interest loans → compound; average worker never catches up.
• Network gatekeeping – internships, referrals, partner‑track sponsorship reserved for in‑club surnames.
• Accent & codes – speech patterns, hobbies, holiday spots signal rank; wrong signals block advancement before merit is seen.
• Credential laundering – elite universities convert inherited status into “achievement” that HR can justify.
• Risk insulation – upper class fails safely (family bailouts, reputational umbrellas); lower class failure = permanent scar.
• Legal + political sway – donations, board seats, legacy admissions perpetuate dominance under the guise of openness.
• Upward mobility myth – exceptional rags‑to‑riches stories marketed as proof the game is fair; statistically negligible.
• Downward stickiness – marrying, socialising, and even zip‑code living patterns lock classes in self‑reinforcing loops.
Net: class isn’t a ladder; it’s a caste system with better PR.