The Genius Awards! Study shows that children born to rich families have a much higher chance of being middle income or better by the time they reach their 40s than children born to poor families. LOL or WTH?

Education and higher wage does not necessarily mean you are more intelligent and better. But clearly if you start at a higher tier in the economy, on average there will be more people continuing that trend and at least staying level with their parents. It takes a special willpower to bring yourself up from the bottom of the economic ladder. You are who you are, must bring your full desire and will to accomplish what you want, and everything is possible with the right attitude.

LOL

The poor have a better chance of climbing out of their social class in Europe then American.

That's like saying home schooling VS. college. The genius is the guy who got the Gov. to pay for this study.

HAHA!

their family can afford better education for them. duh!!!!!!

Not too shocking, really. These kids have the most accessible mentors - their parents and their parents' associates - to learn money and career skills from. It's not so much that they are "smarter" but that they have learned early what it takes to be financially capable.

Class warfare. We are all victims. We are on track to destroy Western civ through racial hatred, class envy, atheism, criminality, and unceasing war between the sexes - Richard Poe

Congratulations liberal American!

yar yar class envy derp derp

Why is whenever someone points out inequities we hear "class warfare"?

They are more apt too be middle class? When they come from money?

I guess they don't have to achieve. They are already well off. So no motivation. Easy money to pay others to do his work. No drive to succeed, no need, trust fund is always there.

It's had enough to get kids to work hard to succeed. Imagine if they inheritently knew they didn't need to.

Seen it a million times.

Of course, it doesn't always mean they are smarter.

It is not very difficult to imagine that children from well-to-do families have more opportunities than those less fortunate. The one big thing in their favor is education opportunities, and not having to work while attending school.

Their grades are likely to be higher, and the family fortune is used to secure their admission to the better universities, usually in he Ivy League. George W. Bush's high school grades normally wouldn't have gotten him into anything higher than the local community college, but family influence paved the way for him to attend first Yale, and then Harvard.

The contacts made during such an education will usually take care of the young person for life. Of course George didn't need that, since he still had family influence going for him. He was set up in business by his father's friends several times, and he failed at each of them. Then he was set up as a part-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, and he realized a fortune in profits when he sold his share.

Then he was awarded the gubnor's office by Poppy's friends, and later the presidency, and he failed at both of them.

See what an Ivy League education can do for you? Unfortunately, poor people might not have the same opportunities George had.

Hi Poppy! I broke my business. Can I have another one?

Exactly. ;^)

Or in Romney's case have a 24/7 yes men no matter where !

IKR?

The hard luck stories we have heard about Bill Clinton and his alcoholic used car salesman step dad that beat him and his mom , but not Roger, and then the poor kid, The 0, that was abandoned by two dads and then by his mom and he doesn't even know where he was born, those two stories show that anybody with a little help from the shadows can make it.

He knows where he was born, even if you don't.

Interesting outlook but I am more concerned about a huge part of our population failing, millions of people failing, not the huge successes of one or two people.

...and that is why, IF ours is truly "the land of opportunity", we need to insure that all citizens can get the level of education for which they are capable and to which they aspire.

First you have to look at the family background. People who have become successful will naturally pass on those qualities that have been useful in their lives. You also have to look at the schools they send their kids to.
With "disadvantaged" parents, we have no idea what the criteria were that put people into this category. It could be single parents who have very limited resources, or kids with criminal parents who are into drugs or other activities that put a barrier between them and society. Naturally, in many cases, people in these groups would be unable to be good role models and nurture their children in productive work habits, and provide for a superior education. Of course that wouldn't apply to all.
The astounding thing is no matter what, many of the so called "disadvantaged" make it out of their situation simply because their parent(s) believed there was something better.
I don't care how many studies are done. The answer is there if the people doing the study would only look.

Yeah. I bet that changes in bad economic times.

Plus, people complain about studies that show what they knew all the time, but when confronted with someone who disagrees, if there is no study to quote, have nothing to back up their argument.

More and better education is given to the rich than the poor, More education means more income.

educational success is indicated by the economic status of the child's parent.

you might want to blame the system for outcomes, but its a battle between nature versus nurture, where nurture plays the BIG role.

Yes.

One problem is that "success" is defined as money. How many Scientists, Social Workers, Researchers, etc are defined as "successful? We have a Mormon Bishop, draft dodger, who became a millionaire off Govt loans and subsidies. He's a parasite, but successful.

I do not have money, but I have two gifted children with High IQ's and in advanced classes. One is even set to graduate early.... Flawed study!!

"chance" does not mean 100% remain in their parents socioeconomic status.

There are exceptions to every rule. Congratulations to your children.

I have seen it many times. Good job!

You've made the logical error of assumption of the particular from a statistical generalization.

Wow, really?! How did they work that one out?? I think the best thing to do would be to have selective public schools for poorer students that are intelligent so they can do well in life as well. Like grammar schools, but only in neighbourhoods where schools are bad and not just for people that pass a test, but those who want to do well...

Well...DUH! We are ALL products of our environments and if we have the luxury of being born into an environment that is not a cess-pool, then the ladder to climb isn't so slippery and difficult!

Its called a procyclic problem - or maintaining the status quo.

The problem is that it is also an exercise in gene pool limitation as people are taught to marry in their own social grouping.

Procyclic. Must remember that. It probably explains why they all look like they're one or two generations behind.

Procyclic - short way of saying "downward spiral".... :)

Really,it took a study to find this out