# From Privilege to Preaching: The Hypocrisy of American Success America loves a good rags-to-riches story. The narrative of the plucky individual pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, overcoming adversity, and achieving the American Dream is deeply ingrained in the national psyche. But what happens when those who have “made it” conveniently forget the mud they once stumbled through, and worse, weaponize their selective memory against those still struggling? And what if that “stumbling through the mud” is less a matter of individual grit and more a reflection of a deeply entrenched system designed to keep people down? Let’s be clear: “clawing one’s way to the top” isn’t something to celebrate. It often means ruthlessly exploiting every societal advantage, every unearned benefit, and channeling it all into self-serving profit, without a shred of recognition for the countless unseen hands that made it possible. It means leveraging privilege while simultaneously denying its existence. It’s a game where the rules are rigged from the start. The truth is, for many, the journey to “success” isn’t a straight line paved with hard work and determination. It’s often a messy, chaotic stumble through a system riddled with inequalities. Some are born on third base, others are born in the dugout. And sometimes, sheer luck, timing, or a helping hand plays a far greater role than anyone cares to admit. Consider this: studies consistently show that social mobility in the US is far lower than in many other developed nations. Growing up poor dramatically increases the likelihood of staying poor. The “American Dream” is increasingly becoming a myth, a cruel joke for those trapped in a modern-day caste system. The real problem arises when those who have clawed their way to the top, often *primarily* through circumstance and advantage, develop a convenient amnesia. They forget the leg up, the lucky break, the systemic advantages that smoothed their path. They forget the mud, the grime, the struggle. Instead, they embrace a narrative of pure meritocracy, conveniently ignoring the very real barriers that prevent others from following in their footsteps. They forget that even receiving public assistance is often penalized when individuals try to improve their social standing, creating a Catch-22 designed to keep them trapped. They lecture about bootstraps, about personal responsibility, about “just working harder,” as if everyone starts at the same starting line. They preach self-reliance while forgetting the scaffolding that supported their ascent. They become blind to the systemic inequalities that continue to hold back entire communities, be it based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, or any other marker of marginalization. They fail to acknowledge that a billionaire’s wealth is often built on the backs of countless low-wage workers, whose struggles are conveniently ignored. Worse, some actively perpetuate the myth that poverty is a personal failing, a consequence of laziness or bad choices. They become blatant hypocrites, suggesting that poor people deserve to be poor, conveniently forgetting the very real obstacles they themselves may have once faced. They kick the ladder away after climbing it, and then blame those below for not levitating. They see the struggles of others not as a reflection of systemic failures, but as a threat to their own privileged position. The idea that a poor person might rise to challenge their status is seen as an existential threat, a zero-sum game where one person’s success must come at another’s expense. This isn’t just callous; it’s a deeply ingrained, almost primal fear that fuels the very systems of oppression that keep people trapped in poverty. And let’s be clear about “grit.” True grit is reserved for those who demonstrate resilience and perseverance *despite* systemic disadvantages, not those who merely navigate minor challenges with the wind of privilege at their backs. Conflating the two dilutes the meaning of true grit and diminishes the struggles of those who genuinely embody it. Those who have benefited from privilege or luck and then claim their success is solely due to “grit” perpetuate harmful myths: the meritocracy myth, the blame-the-victim narrative, and the justification for inequality. This isn’t to say that hard work and determination are irrelevant. They are essential. But they are not sufficient. To ignore the systemic factors that shape individual outcomes is not just intellectually dishonest, it’s morally reprehensible. It’s a betrayal of the very ideal of equality of opportunity that America purports to uphold. The mud, it seems, is not just a personal experience; it’s a structural reality. And until those who have climbed out of it acknowledge its existence, the American Dream will remain just that – a dream, a mirage shimmering on the horizon, forever out of reach for so many. And the gilded cage of American meritocracy will continue to trap those who dare to hope for a better future.