Ordinary Resurrections
What do the terms "rational" and "irrational" mean? Rational means sane or intelligent. Irrational is just the opposite. Some poor people do behave irrational as well as some rich people. People of lower economic class remain poor, not because of irrational choices, but many times because of limited choices and limited opportunities.
Being from a wealthy family opens many doors as fancy red carpets unroll at your feet. In Ordinary Resurrections (p. 102) Kozol talks about some advantages he had over Eleanor Jackson and her daughter as far as getting into a good college. " Eleanor's assumption that I'd had advantages unknown to her or her daughter was well-justified...The dean, who was my father's friend and classmate, talked me into Harvard and assured me I didn't need to bother filing other applications." People can push and push to get into a college and still come up empty handed because they aren't expected to succeed in that manner.
Urban decay. Falsas Promesas Broken Promises, John...
English: Looking west across St Ann's Avenue at So...
The Hub on Third Avenue. "The Hub" is the retail h...The people I'm talking about are not only the people from the South Bronx but many other locations where minorities are a majority and the general income isn't exactly the highest. At the same time others, who may not even be as smart or as well prepared, get into the best universities in the world with a handshake and a good conversation all because daddy has friends. I'm not saying Kozol didn't deserve to get into Harvard, but I'm sure this was the case for many students who go to Harvard, Princeton, Brown University and many other colleges or universities of about the same value.
I believe that if your wealthy you automatically have power. If your pretty well off its easy to put your son/daughter in a situation where they are likely to succeed just like Jonathon's father put him...