Do conservatives hide the secrets to success from minorities and the poor?

Question

If you believe this, I'm opening our playbook right now:

1. Get an education...don't stop until you have the credential for the work you dream of!
2. Delay gratification...choices must be made along the way to the good life, sometimes, the party has to wait till you can pay the bill.
3. Be willing to go where the work is.
4. Marry someone who you love, and who loves you...once stable, start a family THEN.
5. Take reasonable risks...such as the decision to start your own business...no guts, no glory.
6. If you don't believe in God, at least believe the universe does not revolve around you.
7. Don't focus on obstacles, focus on the goal.

Babe...I'd like some of it back, republicans also plan for retirement ;)

OK, I got the idea from this question from a liberal on a different question. This stuff isn't a secret.

ideogenetic...point 3

silverkris, it's obvious to me who believes that people can do for their selves, and who believes people can't.

justaguy5...it won't last for ya.

modoodoo...I'm self made...and if you read jadis' post, you can see most can make it in the US. I grew up in a lower income family. I worked as a teen to earn money in high school. I went into the military to fund some of my college. I stayed in the army for 10 years and completed a BA during that time. I got out to get my master's degree. I'm still paying a student loan ;) I consider that an investment in myself and my future. I opened my own business, but it took a lot of time, effort and planning. I'm doing fine now. I believe that just about anyone could find their way using a path like this, or a path tailored to their situation.

Answer 1

Conservatives don't hide the secrets from anyone. It's plain, simple common sense in most cases what needs to be done. However liberals need the welfare generation to believe that conservatives are harming them & that only they care about them. Buying into that logic, those who need assistance support liberal programs & candidates. The candidates in turn ensure the welfare generation will always be indebted to them & will always be tied to their sides requiring financialy aid & other forms of assistance from the gov't. By failing to empower them to succeed, the liberals create generational poverty & thereby ensure their own continued existence.

Answer 2

If I had a nickel for every time I heard some conservative blabber on about their little secrets to success and how they've made it for themselves well, my pockets would be just as deep and well-lined as theirs. Did you ever stop to consider that you were probably (there are a few exceptions) born into a world of privilege and got a bit of a head start on a lot of people in the world? That doesn't make you better than other people, it just makes you luckier.

You forgot a few of the rules (maybe these are the ones you wanted to keep to yourself):

1. Get an education. This will be a lot easier because you can go to a private school or live in an area with decent public schools (God bless school funding via property taxes!), but don't bother working too hard for it because you can always get in as a legacy at daddy's college.

2. Delay gratification...sometimes your grandparents have to work really hard so you can have it easy.

3. Be willing to go where the work is, and that's usually where your parents (or someone they know) work.

4. Marry someone. Anyone. Really, we don't care so long as you're married. Or at least have the decency to get married right after you knock her up, and then we'll all pretend not to notice when the kid is born 7 months after the wedding.

5. Take reasonable risks...but consult your stock broker first.

6. Believe in God because then you can act like the world revolves around him, but in reality you think it revolves around you (why else would you be holding yourself out as some paragon of virtue?).

7. Don't focus on the obstacles (because, frankly, there are not a lot of them and those that are there are really just speed bumps), but focus on the goal; step on whomever you have to in order to get there. That, my friends, is the American way.

Answer 3

Thats perfect. Unfortunately not everybody has the help of a family to get them through college. The self made man is a myth. You can't sit here and say nobody signed for your loans, or at least sent you some Ramen noodles in college. There are too many people stuck on step one...we need to work on public education so that college is possible for kids growing up in poor districts...there are no expectations...people graduating with 3rd grade reading levels...Don't you think every child should have an equal opportunity?

Answer 4

Hey, you're not suppose to tell anyone about the delayed gratification, hard work and savings. If word gets out, everyone might start doing it and then I won't look so exclusive.

I'm 48 and just now getting my first beach house (a goal since I was a kid), after I finalize the deal, I don't want anyone to know I lived in a crappy condo for the last 14 years in an area that I didn't want to live (epensive, but lots of jobs), I want them all to think I have always had a beach house with a pool. and that I was just clever in being able to get it.

Answer 5

They nor you hide it, but some want a quick fix. Some feel they are entitled to be at the top without 1st doing the hardwork. Others just settle for the hand outs. They then get trapped in the moat of losting more benefits of being on the dole than their increased income will pay for. They quickly loose sight of what is past the moat.

Answer 6

".,.So it's our fault that people can't figure out to get money they have to go to work or go to school."

I work at a university, and there are thousands of grants that NO ONE CLAIMS! People CAN get money to go to school - especially those from inner cities and if they're a minority, AND they're willing to do the work, they could probably get a 4-year degree for FREE. But it's up to the INDIVIDUAL to take it upon themselves to FIND their opportunities.

Why is it that we have so many (legal) immigrants who come to America with English as their 2nd language, but they manage to do very well for themselves? Is the left implying that Americans shouldn't have to work that hard? Or that Americans are too stupid and/or lazy to find a way for themselves?

I have NO problem with a hand UP. In fact, I think we need to cut all aid to illegals, and use that money to help our working poor more. I refuse to tolerate a hand OUT. Hell, everyone I work with (mostly liberals) tells me I should go on disability. Not because I can't do my job - my performance reviews are always excellent - but because I have a health condition and I feel like crap 99% of the time. I drag my sorry, tired *** into work with a GOOD ATTITUDE as often as I can. I hate it when I can't make it - but they KNOW I have a good work ethic and they value my contributions. Anyway - I REFUSE to accept a hand out. As long as I am able to work, I will. Period. And I resent the hell out of people who don't want to work, and think I owe them something. I don't owe you anything - get off your *** and do it for yourself.

Edit - Moodo, my parents started with absolutely NOTHING. They lived with my grandparents - neither set of which were wealthy by ANY stretch of imagination - because they HAD to. They did extremely well for themselves. Why? Because they had the DETERMINATION.

We ALL have obstacles in our lives. Heck, look at that guy they just made a movie about..."Pursuit of Happyness"? That guy went from being homeless to being extremely wealthy. What advantages do you think he had over any other poor person in this country? It was his HARD WORK.

Do some people have bad luck? Of course they do. But what separates the successful from the not successful is their attitude. Quit bitching about what others have that you don't, and work towards getting those things for yourself. But people like my entire family (I'm the worst off by far, and I have an excellent job with the university) sure as hell don't work hard so that you don't have to.

Answer 7

Forcing others to bow all the way down to a picture. is carefully against Judea Christian ethics, in spite of the fact that if that's a flag or a swastica or a golden calf. you will possibly be a patriot without doing it, yet as in all religions , that's greater ordinary to make your self look religious and pious and patriotic than to do stable and love one yet another.

Answer 8

Uh, actually there are a lot of politically conservative people who don't follow that prescriptive. I'm politically liberal and I live by these words. There's no political ideology to that. OTOH, I see plenty of jealous white people who resent successful people of color and make racist remarks and beat the drumbeat of xenophobia.

It's plain darned silly to assign a political ideology to this. And it's just a load of crap (strawman attack) to say that liberals are for handouts, are victims, have low expectations for the poor, etc., etc. Actually, this liberal believes in policies that will enable as many people to avail themselves of these opportunities, and calls out mindless rightwingers who love to preach "personal responsiblity" to others but say nothing about governments who take away programs that will enable people from modest means to better themselves and others.

Answer 9

They don't hide them, but they also often underestimate the advantages that they started with. It's a lot easier to get a great education and job being raised in the 'burbs than in the inner city.

Answer 10

These were never really secrets, these are acts of common sense. The same sense that most people forget about, specially liberals. Liberals want people to believe no matter how much you screw up your own life, they, as a government ,will bail you out. As long as they (liberals) can keep you down with socialized government programs.