11/25/20
One of my goals moving forward is to pick up reading again. I noticed that all of the most eloquent speakers and creative thinkers are avid readers. Bill Gates, Barack Obama…the one thing that all of these individuals have in common are that they are lovers of literature. I’m not sure exactly when it was, but I stopped reading altogether. And as a result, I feel like I’ve lost the ability to think originally, critically, and most importantly, I’m not learning anything new. That said, I’ve decided to pick out a couple books each month and write reflections on them.
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance is very well written and sparked in me an interest in public policy, which I never really gave much thought to despite my degree in Policy Analysis (truly ironic). As Vance reflects on his childhood growing up in Appalachia America, he helped me see that “Rednecks” or “Hillbillies”, as we call them, are misunderstood and unfairly lampooned in mainstream society. His story made me reflect on my own biases against this population in America, and also reinforced valuable life lessons. Here are some things I took away.
- Many times, when people fail, they blame external forces. Though there are struggles that can be attributed to extenuating circumstances, where you end up is a large part due to your own choices. If you believe that you can turn your situation around, you can. If you believe that you can’t, you won’t.
- Build your social capital. Social capital is a measure of how much you learn through your peers, colleagues and mentors. Curating a network of these people is the way to build success. From a job perspective, throwing in countless applications can only take you so far. For organic success, you need a support system of people who can guide you to new opportunities.
- Though social mobility is good, it has its downsides. “Social mobility” implies a movement towards a better life, but it also indicates moving away from something. Working-class Americans are more likely to fall off even when they’ve reached the top of the social ladder. This can be attributed to “survivor’s guilt”.
- We must build public policies based on a better understanding of what stands in the way of poor, working-class individuals, especially kids. The real problem for these kids is what happens in the home. Public policy attempts to mitigate these issues, but most of the time, it tends to exacerbate them.
- What separates those who are unsuccessful from those who are successful are the expectations they have for themselves. You can do a lot more than you give yourself credit for if you put in the effort and time.
“I’m not saying ability doesn’t matter. It certainly helps. But there’s something powerful about realizing that you’ve undersold yourself — that somehow your mind confused lack of effort for inability. This is why, whenever people ask me what I’d most like to change about the white working class, I say, ‘The feeling that our choices don’t matter.’”
I think this book has been truly transformative in that it not only provided a glimpse into a part of America that is oftentimes cornered away, but it helped me 1) Process my imposter syndrome a little better, 2) Realize how privileged I am, and 3) Better understand the hillbilly culture and the factors that drive the massive divide between the rich and the poor.
