Why Is the American Dream Dead in the South?

[finehoe]

Upward mobility has stayed the same the past 50 years despite skyrocketing inequality. But it's lower in the South than anywhere else in the U.S.—or the rest of the developed world.



The American Dream is alive in Denmark and Finland and Sweden. And in San Jose and Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh. But it's dead in Atlanta and Raleigh and Charlotte. And in Indianapolis and Detroit and Jacksonville.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/why-is-the-american-dream-dead-in-the-south/283313/

[BoldBoyOfTheSouth]

I'm a little disappointed in TheAtlantic because the article lacks depth. Just threw out facts and a few possible causes. After reading that article, one is not any more prepared to deal with this issue that prior to reading the article.

[Overstreet]

Those are interesting conclusions in the article.  It has been my experience that,

1. successful people were successful because they believed in themselves and put in the effort to be successful.

2. follow the money. I never did a multiple million dollar construction for poor people. There were always people with money hiring us to do it.

3. when ever promotions or positions were assigned by anything other than merit, drive and qualifications things were mediocre.

[BoldBoyOfTheSouth]

What Drives Success?
By AMY CHUA and JED RUBENFELDJAN. 25, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/opinion/sunday/what-drives-success.html?_r=0

[BoldBoyOfTheSouth]

Needless to say, high-achieving groups don't instill these qualities in all their members. They don't have to. A culture producing, say, four high achievers out of 10 would attain wildly disproportionate success if the surrounding average was one out of 20.