It is not "patently false" that a large population will not achieve what they want through hard work because they lack a certain racial or socioeconomic edge. It is true that they will have to work harder, but it does not mean they are barred from trying. Why do you think that people are victims of their skin colour and heritage? Why does that make them a second class citizen?
>Why do you think that people are victims of their skin colour and heritage?
Because studies have shown that people with "black" or "ethnic" names are often passed over in favor of more European/Christian names. Because an entire generation of minority fathers were systemically targeted by police as part of the misguided War on Drugs. Because nearly fifty percent of the wealth gained by blacks was wiped out in the housing crisis because they were the victims of predatory loan practices.
>Why does that make them a second class citizen?
In America, if you don't have money you are a second class citizen. If you are black, in many areas you are a second class citizen. I wish more than anything this was not the case but it is a reality that I've witnessed and that many have to fight through.
Just saying "hey, sorry things are broken and you are at a huge disadvantage, guess you'll have to work harder!" is a pathetic redress to the economic realities of today.
"But the wonderful thing about America is that if you are willing to make the right sacrifices, you can achieve whatever you want."
Except this is patently false for a large, growing portion of people, those that get denied opportunities because of their race, their class, their names, their lack of funds.
The whole rhetoric of "I gritted my teeth and pulled up my sleeves and became a millionaire and you can too!" is so hollow and facetious in its victim-blaming that it's insulting.
So yes, Rob May, I do think you are part of the problem. Not because you are a millionaire or worked hard, but because you are myopic and unsympathetic to anyone who is not like you.