Being “elite” sounds nice in abstract, but what does it mean specifically? I don’t have much data, but I assume that if you want to get to the top, you need to prioritize it over many other things that you value, simply because there is not enough space at the top, and you are competing against others. And some of the others have an advantage of being born in an elite family, thus having more knowledge and contacts than you.
I suspect that starting a few decades later, not understanding how the game works, and not being willing to sacrifice everything in order to get there… this combination pretty much disqualifies you from the game.
(It’s kinda like being illiterate and homeless at 25, and suddenly deciding that it might be a good idea to get a PhD at an expensive private university. Sounds possible in theory, but the actual probability is pretty small.)
My vague understanding is that being upper-class is about having some power and contacts, and using the power and contacts skillfully to gain more power. But I start from a position of zero power and zero contacts with powerful people. And it’s not mere “contact” that is needed to play the game; it is a history of cooperation that signals that you are a skilled and trustworthy partner. If you are born in an upper-class family, your starting power is that you can ask your parents to use their power in your favor; your parents teach you how to play the game, and they introduce you to their contacts and vouch for your trustworthiness. Another way is to start at the bottom of some power hierarchy, and have an insane talent that allows you to progress towards the top. I have neither the family, nor the talent, so I assume the doors are closed for me. Plus, I already have decades of bad habits (“bad” in sense of “incompatible with upper-class behavior”) that I would need to overcome.
Being “elite” sounds nice in abstract, but what does it mean specifically? I don’t have much data, but I assume that if you want to get to the top, you need to prioritize it over many other things that you value, simply because there is not enough space at the top, and you are competing against others. And some of the others have an advantage of being born in an elite family, thus having more knowledge and contacts than you.
I suspect that starting a few decades later, not understanding how the game works, and not being willing to sacrifice everything in order to get there… this combination pretty much disqualifies you from the game.
(It’s kinda like being illiterate and homeless at 25, and suddenly deciding that it might be a good idea to get a PhD at an expensive private university. Sounds possible in theory, but the actual probability is pretty small.)
My vague understanding is that being upper-class is about having some power and contacts, and using the power and contacts skillfully to gain more power. But I start from a position of zero power and zero contacts with powerful people. And it’s not mere “contact” that is needed to play the game; it is a history of cooperation that signals that you are a skilled and trustworthy partner. If you are born in an upper-class family, your starting power is that you can ask your parents to use their power in your favor; your parents teach you how to play the game, and they introduce you to their contacts and vouch for your trustworthiness. Another way is to start at the bottom of some power hierarchy, and have an insane talent that allows you to progress towards the top. I have neither the family, nor the talent, so I assume the doors are closed for me. Plus, I already have decades of bad habits (“bad” in sense of “incompatible with upper-class behavior”) that I would need to overcome.