Liar liar: “There is no substitute for hard work”

“There is no substitute for hard work” ~ Thomas Edison, 1920

A painting of the famous Thomas Edison, who claimed that hard work will solve everything. (Photo by: Flickr)

The Rosses lived in Mississippi and owned 40 acres of land filled with an array of animals. At one point during Clyde Ross’s childhood, the state claimed that his father owed them $3,000 in back taxes. The family didn’t have the funds to hire a lawyer or the education to represent themselves. Ultimately, the government took their land and all their animals. This consequence led the Ross family to a career in sharecropping (Coates, 2014). The Rosses went from being their own boss to having to answer to others. It is evident that all of the Ross’s hard work was thrown out of the window simply because their skin color blocked them from having the resources they needed to defend themselves. Even if the family did find a way to defend themselves, their race would have likely stopped the authorities from listening. 

The difficulties for the Ross family didn’t end there. Clyde was extremely brilliant, and “his teachers thought he should attend a more challenging school”. Unfortunately, the school was not within walking distance. White students who attended this school, but couldn’t walk there, received transportation. Clyde did not (Coates, 2014). 

Before the pandemic, the unemployment rates of African Americans (6.1%) were almost double those of Whites (3.2%). Since Covid-19 sent the world into lockdown, however, White unemployment has grown by 14.25%, and African American unemployment has grown by 16.7%. The pandemic hit African Americans even harder than it affected White people because African Americans make up the majority of the service industry. There was no service to provide  during the height of Covid. 

The Sydnor-Jones family is an example of an African American family whose income and life was completely turned upside down because of the pandemic. After being homeless in 2018, the Sydnor-Jonses finally felt as if they were turning a corner towards solid ground; each member of the family was finally employed. Their jobs included working at Rowan University, Uber, Doordash, construction jobs, and door-to-door sales. However, once the pandemic hit, Chekesha’s (the mother to the family) hours at Rowan University decreased, construction jobs were paused and restaurants closed. Chekesha’s oldest daughter and her boyfriend quickly lost their sales jobs, but were able to secure employment at Home Depot. Unfortunately, they had to leave Home Depot because they were pregnant and didn’t want to put the baby at risk of Covid (Hannah-Jones, 2020). 

Chekesha knew she couldn’t sit back and let the pandemic destroy her family more than it already had. She decided to downgrade her cell phone package to one that cost $15 a month. Additionally, she terminated cable and internet in her home. Because her youngest child was still in school, the family was able to receive free internet so she could participate in remote learning. Despite making these cuts, the Sydnor-Jones family struggled to pay the gas and water bills, which were at their highest because everyone was spending all their time at home. Chekesha put her family above her own well-being and didn’t pick up her $46 inhaler that would help her asthma. She didn’t have health insurance and rather than paying out of pocket for her inhaler, she decided to allocate the money to her family (Hannah-Jones, 2020). While selfless, this was a dangerous decision as those with asthma were at a higher risk of dying of Covid. All of the difficulties added up, and resulted in the family making their first visit to the food bank (Hannah-Jones, 2020). While they may have felt comfort seeing many friends and neighbors there, it is disappointing to accept that so many people were struggling. The pandemic had an extreme impact on people of color in the United States. No matter how many jobs one has or how hard they work at them, it just doesn’t seem to be enough at times. The feeling of not being enough is sure to take a toll on physical and mental health. 

Society has failed the large group of people who work extremely hard, but are blocked from making economic progress. It seems that their hard work gets them nowhere and they end up losing. The same is not true when you’re born into wealth. 

The British monarchy’s attention and power continues through their children—making them a dynasty. The royal family automatically has access to great wealth without having to work for it— a current wealth of $28 billion to be specific. In 1957,1963, and 1974, Queen Elizabeth II selected the Prime Minister (Norbauer and Stdular).

Photo of a the Monarch’s crown, filled with gems to represent their status and wealth. (Photo by: Flickr)

The Prime Minister of England  has the power to control the decisions and policies of the government. He or she also has the authority to oversee the operations of government agencies, and chooses the members of the government. While the monarchy doesn’t usually have direct power, the family uses their symbolic influence to lure over the Prime Minister during their frequent meetings (Norbauer and Stdular). Furthermore, the royal family, specifically the monarch, runs council meetings, opens new sessions of Parliament, does volunteer work, and completes public engagements. The royal family is in charge of carrying out jobs that the monarch is unable to be there for. The family enjoys the privilege to complete the duties and travel the world simply because of their family tree. Despite what many believe, the royal family’s power goes a lot deeper than being a symbol of unity, pride, and stability for their country. The monarchy’s power lies in its strong sense of family, however, the family doesn’t have to put a lot of work into keeping their power and wealth. 

Hailey Baldwin Bieber is someone who has used her family’s fame to venture into the industries of her choice. More specifically, Hailey Baldwin Bieber is the daughter of Stephen Baldwin and the niece of Alec Baldwin – two very famous actors who have a combined net worth of $60 million. She is also married to Justin Bieber, one of the most well-known and successful singers of the twenty-first century.

Photo of Hailey Baldwin Bieber with her famous musician husband Justin Bieber. (Photo by: Flickr)

Hailey Baldwin Bieber started modeling at a very young age. Throughout her career, she has been featured in multiple editions of Vogue, worked for Tommy Hilfiger, worked Milan and Paris fashion weeks, and more recently, she has become the face of Levi Jeans. Baldwin Bieber has also broken into the beauty and skincare space with the launch of her company, Rhode. She has created this popular brand by combining her love of skin care and interest in makeup with her access to expert dermatologists and successful entrepreneurs. Each success Hailey Baldwin Bieber has achieved, which has led to her personal net worth of $20 million, is attached to her family’s fame. 

People who achieve their wealth and notoriety as a result of their family are considered the winners in life. They get these ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunities without having to put in the hard work and a large group of people who do the hard work end up as the economic losers.