Why does the media print rags to riches stories? - eviltoast

Betty Sue makes $286,000 per month on Etsy. She started with nothing, and now she’s filthy rich.

Come on, man. The chances of that happening to the average person are close to zero. Stories like this give people unrealistic expectations.

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Something wrong with inspiring stories?

    The chances of that happening to the average person

    Pure lemmy right there. Hard work is useless and derided. Only chance determines success. What a miserable way to navigate life. Is there a word for “economic incel”?

    • meathorse@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Can I assume by that comment that you’re also a self-made millionaire?

      No? Oh, why are you so lazy? After all, it just requires hard work. There are over a thousand self-made millionaires in my small town alone. The media call us a “statistical anomaly” but they just don’t see how easy it is if you just put down your 9-5 and get to work.

      /s

      Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely believe that hard work can get you there but it is very, very uncommon. I work bloody hard, have a good paying job, no debt and investments but will only have enough for an ok retirement.

      Friends with their own business who are more driven, work even harder and longer than I do and are absolutely better off, but they’ll never earn the level of money like this article suggests.

      My issue is with the disingenuousness of the article. This sort of success requires a huge amount of work, a once in the lifetime (for most people) idea or market to kickstart and even then often still requires a bucket of 7-leaf clover levels of luck. But it’s sold by the media as others have detailed “if you just work harder…”

      • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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        2 months ago

        Most people people with real money inherited it.

        So that’s the most common way to join the club, hard work and luck comes after that.

        Luck alone ie true lottery winner is the last but these people appear to strugglr to join the club and or maintain their wealth