It is not too hard to imagine that a rich person has started life in a better position than a poor person. We say sometimes that the rich person’s “starting line” in the race of life (I guess racing to “success”?) is farther down the field, while a poor person’s is way behind.

We often attribute this to the money they will be given, the schools that they can attend, the help they can afford (private tutors, etc.), and the experiences they will have.

This last one, the experiences they will have, is the unsung hero of their lives.

We use the term “cultural capital” to describe all of the traits a person picks up, just by being around others, that help them make progress in their lives and achieve their dreams.

This can be as simple as having an uncle that runs a large company, and you spend a lot of time at his house as a teenager. You begin to pick up his way of thinking about life, his approach to business, how he talks to his employees on the phone, what he looks for in a business deal. He might not even be explicitly teaching you these things, but these ideas are talked about at the dinner table, and you pick up on them.

When you then begin applying for jobs and working, you will have a head start on the world because you have absorbed a certain knowledge about how things are done. This will be recognized by your employers and you will be rewarded with praise and promotions.

Eventually, because of all of your hard work, you will run your own company.

And then some “liberal jerk” comes and tells you that you can’t be proud of what you did, that you can’t take credit for your hard work and intellect.

Of course you can. You did it, after all.

But it is important to remember that you were given a gift that many people were not. You were given the cultural capital, the experiences that taught you, to capitalize on opportunities and create new opportunities for yourself.

Many others have not received this gift.

That is inequality of experience. What will you do about it?