Anyone who has played poker long enough has seen something similar play out on a much smaller stage. I have a picture on my wall of me surrounded by money and chips, and in my hand is the single chip that I was down to before coming back to win that particular tournament. "Treetop" Strauss' win is the most famous, but there have certainly been plenty of others. But the reason that we remember his win, and the times that we witnessed or accomplished a similar feat ourselves, is that they are extremely abnormal. Not just unexpected, but unexpected to such a degree that the events become indelibly etched in our memories and, in the case of Strauss, our culture at large.
I think of these events whenever someone goes on a rant about how anyone can make it in this country if they just work hard enough. They all point to some person who overcame tremendous odds to hit it big, and use that as an example that anyone can achieve anything simply through hard work and perseverance. The truth is, that argument simply doesn't hold water. Yes, it is true that everyone has an opportunity to succeed. We all have that "chip and a chair", and if everything breaks absolutely perfect, we can come out successful in life, career, what have you.
The problem is that people aren't starting with the same opportunities. I am a white male, born healthy and into an upper middle class family (when those still existed). I was born in one of a handful of countries that allows for upward mobility. I was given a solid education, loving parents, and a decent social network of support. I still failed. Not at life. Not as a human being. But as far as becoming financially successful in a chosen career, I'm a failure. Why? Because even when you're given many advantages, you still have to get a little lucky, and I didn't. The industry I worked in for fifteen years collapsed, and I wasn't ever able to recover and transfer those skills to something else.
Now, when I think about someone who not only has to overcome things like race, gender or gender identity, economic disadvantages, systemic educational gaps, and on top of all those things, must also get lucky, the odds are forever stacked against them.
As a culture, we love the underdog... but only when they succeed, or at least fail in a gloriously heroic manner. We love hearing the story of the poor African American girl, whose parents died when she was young, that pushed herself through high school and college, and was able to found a successful business. Proof of the American Dream. The other 1,000 kids from that high school that failed getting there? They simply didn't work hard enough. Little Jenny proves it, anyone can make it in this glorious country of ours!!
It's a lie.
If I had gone on to become a CEO of a major company, no one would have batted an eye. I would never have stood out in a crowd. It's honestly more surprising that I failed to become a success, given the advantages I was born into. Ask yourself this: Why do we only laud the efforts of someone who overcomes tremendous obstacles to make it big in this country? Why is it a MUCH bigger deal if someone becomes successful when they were born poor, or female, or a person of color, or *gasp* more than one of those? Because the system is rigged for rich, white males. That's who has always held the power, and people with power do everything they can to keep it. It also allows them to continue to perpetuate the lie that "anyone can make it" if they just work hard enough, while continuing to do all they can to hold down everyone that isn't just like them.
The reason it stands out in our minds when a poor person, a person of color, a woman, or someone transgender overcomes those obstacles and becomes successful, is the same reason that we remember "Treetop" Strauss winning the World Series of Poker 34 years later. Because it's not just unexpected, it's shockingly unexpected. We forget the millions upon millions of people that, given the exact same insurmountable odds, failed in the way the system is set up for them to fail.
In the spirit of the Olympics that are going on now, let me put it to you this way... Suppose we're all running a 100-yard dash. If you win a medal, you hit it big. If you don't, you fail utterly and will struggle your entire life just to survive. Now, if you're a white male, middle class or above, you start on the regular starting line. If you're female, you start five yards further back. If you're poor, five yards further back. A person of color, five yards behind that. LGBT, you're yet another five yards back. You're all still in the same race, you all still have a chance to win big. Sure, some of you have a "bit of a disadvantage" to overcome, but c'mon, it's not that big of a deal, right? I mean, if you work hard and persevere, you'll be able to win big!!
I don't have all the answers. I believe it is systemic and unable to be solved in a generation or two. I'm just tired of people not recognizing that there's a problem in the first place. We need to at least agree on that. Because if you can look at the system we live in and you don't see a problem, you ARE part of the problem.
