Anthony P. Carnevale: Born Rich
on Tuesday, June 2, 2020Anthony P. Carnevale, director of the CEW Money Quote saying those who are born rich are far more likely to succeed, whether they have real talent or little talent. Anthony P. Carnevale, director of the CEW said:
“To succeed in America, it’s better to be born rich than smart. People with talent often don’t succeed. What we found in this study is that people with talent that come from disadvantaged households don’t do as well as people with very little talent from advantaged households” — Anthony P. Carnevale
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In this quote, Anthony P. Carnevale seems to be criticizing the lack of equal opportunity and social mobility in the United States. By stating that “to succeed in America, it’s better to be born rich than smart”, and that “people with talent often don’t succeed” if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds, Carnevale implies socioeconomic factors have a greater impact on success than innate ability.
His comment that those with little talent but wealthier upbringings “don’t do as well” highlights how background advantages can outweigh talent. The quote conveys Carnevale’s perspective that the American Dream narrative of achieving through hard work and skills alone is undermined by evidence that entrenched inequality and lack of access to opportunity for some talented individuals hinders merit-based achievement and social mobility.
Overall, Carnevale appears to be arguing that systemic inequities prevent the system from being truly open and that innate talent is not always the determining factor of success due to other constraints faced by disadvantaged groups.