Quote:
Originally posted by bringer
how so? because people put their trust in people that dont have their best interests at heart? just because jessie jackson says a poor black child who has no father figure cant make it doesnt make it true.
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Opportunity consists of more than just physical freedom. If, like you say, people won't even try if their environment tells them they have no chance, society is to blame if those people don't achieve much, rather than those people themselves.
An example:
If a child grows up getting told by his parents every day that he's a worthless piece of shit and that he will never amount to anything, and you accept that such things do in fact have an influence on how people behave in society, that child has less opportunity than other children.
Physically, people in the 19th century had just as much opportunity of creating a microwave as the people of today. However, they lacked the proper (scientific) beliefs to create one. (knowledge is actually a belief system, combining an extensive set of beliefs about the world)
Likewise, if someone grows up without the proper (personal) beliefs to achieve things, he may have the physical opportunity, but his chances of achievement are still extremely slim.