Agreed. We're being encouraged to compete on an international stage, with role models who are professional pretty people, and we're encouraged to believe that we have infinite potential for social mobility. We're also continually shown examples of people who started at the bottom and made it to the top. We're made to feel that if we don't reach for the very tippy-top, we don't believe in ourselves and we're not giving ourselves what we deserve--and after all, it's not that hard to get there, is it? It's a fantastic way to convince people to flush their money down the drain.