listen up

Malcolm Gladwell is a clever, clever fellow. His Book goes on my Christmas list.

Gladwell debunks what he calls the "peculiarly American" belief that character, intelligence and hard work determine success.

"It's the age-old American myth of the self-made man," Gladwell says, "the idea that we are not wholly, but largely — responsible for our own success … When you look at the lives of the highly successful, the idea that they're self-made crumbles."

Everytime I hear some asshat say that the wealthy shouldnt be taxed any higher because that'd be the government "taking away their money", I think, "did the rich guy himself do all the work that made him his money, or did he use people who profited far less from their labor than he did?". This isnt exactly what the book is about, but it's all related. It may or may not take a village to raise a child, but it sure as hell takes a nation to make a rich man.