Detmer: Why would you lose your position in the conversation by contrasting the 80's and today. The world is great and his example is one in a country with very high opportunity (refer to my earlier post that earning over $20,000 places you in the top 83% of world earners and that this is a descent estimation of the average wage in the USA).

Here is how I read what KoHeartGPA said:

"My family (with at least one living adult) was able to reach medial success in a favorable enviornment (where average wages are near or above $20,000), so everyone else (the other 67% of the world earning less than $2,000 a year) should be able to, too!"

Inner voice:
"A child forced to work at age 12 to provide for his/her family could pursue higher education and achieve success - he/she is just lazy. If they would just stop wasting their money on food and shelter they could really get ahead. Those people just don't think long term. I know this because I am successful and I earned everything in my life."