Is It Better to Be Born Rich or Poor In America?

What Classism and Racism Have in Common

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Of course, people would prefer to be born rich rather than poor, but the result of what the adult grows up to be isn’t that clear. Those born rich are more likely to access better healthcare, education, and career advantages through nepotism and being more like those in decision-making positions. The poor are often more driven and more determined to change their circumstances. A small percentage may look to maximize benefits from social programs like welfare, but that’s related to the lack of other choices. Call it survival, not laziness.

I grew up poor, though I didn’t realize I did until my late teens, when I wasn’t. I’ve heard from many others that they had no idea they were poor while experiencing the situation. Rich people know they’re rich and govern themselves accordingly. They separate themselves from the poor because they fear them and don’t want them visible, lest they feel some modicum of guilt or responsibility.

Those born with little want the same things as the wealthy and are willing to work to change their circumstances. Some of the best ways out are through sports, as entertainers, and crime. I played high school and college sports and saw athletes working on their skills long after mandated practices to try to reach the professional level. Some openly talked about wanting to buy their mama a house. Thirty years later, none of the players on the soccer team I coached in suburban Winter Park, Florida, were willing to do so; they lacked desperation.

In my hometown of Minneapolis, a teenage musician named Prince was getting started and formed a little band called Grand Central. Garry Johnson, one of my basketball teammates, was always drumming with imaginary and real drumsticks. His nickname then was Buddy Miles, a famous drummer. Later, he became Jellybean of The Time. Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Alexander O’Neal were on the come-up.

None of my high school friends were selling drugs while we were in school. At least one went on to become a major dealer in Minneapolis. He experienced short-term riches but eventually paid a dear cost. I also had friends who were very successful academically. Three members of my ten-member Sunday School class were National Merit Semi-finalists based on performance on standardized tests. We went to college with scholarships and financial aid that were much needed. Linda Warder went to Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts, and I went to Fisk University in Nashville; I don’t know where Anita Cooper ended up, but I know she also went to college. I don’t know if Linda or Anita’s families were ever poor; my family lived in the Sumner Field projects until I was five. We didn’t dwell on what we were, but more on achieving goals to get where we wanted to be.

Growing up, I wasn’t aware of the systemic barriers that made success harder. Minneapolis was a perfect example of municipal planning based on redlining and class separation. The Sumner Field Housing Projects were Minnesota’s first public housing project. The first residents were low-income Black and Jewish families. The Jewish families soon moved out to the Golden Valley suburb and elsewhere. Black people couldn’t get financing for homes in certain neighborhoods, which didn’t change until the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was passed. Job discrimination and income inequality were the norms; riots broke out on the Northside when I was eleven (I lived on the Southside then) because of police brutality and the deadly shooting of a black teen allegedly shoplifting, combined with the frustration of high unemployment. This was over fifty years before the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.

Despite the circumstances, what those in my circle at least possessed was hope. We always believed we could improve our circumstances. Each generation is doing better than the last. My parents grew up during Jim Crow. My grandfather was once a railroad porter; I was in my fifties before I had any concept of what he experienced performing that job. My grandmother was a Registered Nurse. From my first memories, they owned their own home, and every two years, they traded in their Chevrolet Nova for a new model. My grandmother took us across town to church every Sunday; half the time, we’d go through the car wash along the way. My family owned a home by then. We might have been poor then, but I didn’t know if we were.

I don’t have the same personal experiences about growing up rich. Rich people didn’t live near me or attend the same schools. Some of my friends’ parents had more than others. Kenneth Johnson’s parents took thirty of us bowling for his birthday, and we had lunch afterward at the Howard Johnson’s. I attended one of the largest Black churches and saw new cars and fine clothes. Several of those families were well off but probably not rich. I think all of us were a couple of paychecks from homelessness, which is a whole different level of poor.

Those growing up rich are out of touch with the experiences faced by the poor. Many politicians are asked if they know the cost of a gallon of milk to determine if they can relate to their constituents. Many have no clue. Most of the positions of power in America are controlled by the rich. Every President since Harry S. Truman was at least a millionaire. Most members of Congress are wealthy, as are Federal Judges and Supreme Court Justices. At the same time, some people in these groups became rich while in office (a whole ‘nother story); the vast majority grew up rich with rich people’s problems like getting into the best private school, and are oblivious to those of the poor. It’s not just a race issue; poor white people in Appalachia are just as bad off as Black people in a ghetto.

Rich people don’t experience stop & frisk nor see their communities overpoliced. Some have legacy admissions to Ivy League schools while railing against affirmative action, not realizing their advantage. They get farm subsidies yet attack welfare. They have a special category for their crimes, white collar crime, which gets them shorter sentences or a fine. A company we’ve all heard about was found guilty of 17 counts of criminal fraud, and nobody went to jail, and the maximum fine they could receive was less than the amount they defrauded the government.

There are kinds of rich and poor that I’ve yet to discuss. Some rich people weren’t born that way. They may have even started poor and used their drive and will to make money. Some poor people get that way due to drug habits or mental health problems. They each may depend on society for their survival, yet are mainly ignored by those who could help but don’t.

Without question, it’s better to be rich rather than poor in most respects. I want to think that the experience of having once scraped by to make ends meet or not knowing how you’re going to feed your kids would give one greater appreciation for what you do have. Poor people who become rich can become hoarders, move away from their former friends, and never think about those left behind. Or they give back, hoping to pave the way for others to follow.

Rich people have options as well. They can figure out how to pay no taxes and contribute nothing to the greater good, or work to reduce poverty and make America greater in a good way.