Rebirth

The recent postings of fellow nomads has served as the impetus for me to share my own thoughts on the mutually inclusive concepts of greatness in society and the serendipity associated with a higher social standing in life. History is riddled with examples of individuals rising into roles of sociopolitical power and standing based on legacies of their elders, the fortuitous hand of God catapulting these seemingly less-than-exceptional human beings through no virtue of their own. This fact has become more strikingly obvious to me as the political transformation of this country begins to take shape. More importantly, it helps me reexamine my networks and the legacy we will all leave behind one day.

Consider the role of some of America’s most prominent families in the shaping of our country. Kennedy. Vanderbilt. Rockefeller. Carnegie. The aforementioned names have been instrumental in laying the foundation of this country in politics, the oil, gas, steel and shipping industries, medicine and modern philanthropy. They have been an undeniable force in the success of this nation. However, the original members of these families leave us those who bear the names of their famous ancestors and are the unintended beneficiaries of this power and wealth. This new form of nepotism sweeping politics is rampant at all levels of society and while I have turned a blind eye to it for most of my life, recent examples have made me livid as they have subconsciously impacted me in one way or another.

Most notably, the rise of Caroline Kennedy comes to mind. The only remaining child of the late JFK and Jackie O, the woman’s resume hardly entitles her to jump in the recently vacated senate seat of one of the nation’s most influential states. Her credentials (to me) are less than stellar: while her Ivy League background may cause you to blink twice, I think we’ve all seen that a Harvard MBA does not have the same cache that it used to. She is the head or is on the board of many philanthropic organizations and is a valued member of the art community, but that hardly warrants any standing ovation. However, her social presence in politics cannot be understated: she is receiving encouragement from her uncle (Ted Kennedy), Governor Patterson (who would love nothing more than to see signs of Patterson-Kennedy come 2010), Mayor Bloomberg, Al Sharpton (who seems to always have a say in everything, regardless of its importance) and Senator Chuck Schumer (one of the highest ranking members of the senate). It is estimated that she will have to raise $70 million dollars to retain the senate seat in 2010, but that seems like chump change to a woman who has made her newfound interest in politics widely known to the public and has her powerful friends doing jumping jacks to make sure she gets it. While I have nothing against her personally, I am concerned that her complete lack of experience (a criticism that was frequently made against Obama) in politics is going to show as she attempts to make decisions for a state of twenty million people. Mark my words, she will get that seat. But have we as a public become so fickle that we are ready to launch her into power based on her privileged upbringing? Looks like it.

This example is by no means the norm, but it is something you will find to be more commonplace if you peel through the layers. It is very evident in the financial world and you will see it in the form of recruiting practices, job promotions and under-the-table favors. Some are visible (Chelsea Clinton was the youngest member of her class to be hired at the MBA level at McKinsey; she left the firm shortly thereafter to work for the hedge fund Avenue Capital Group run by Marc Lasry, a wealthy donor to the Democratic cause and a close friend of Bill and Hillary) while other examples don’t really hit you until you see the aftermath of a supposed “bias-free” recruiting process (a friend was denied a position with a top-tier consulting firm, only to find that the position was offered to woman with fewer credentials but her father was a fortune-500 CEO; do you want to be the firm who destroyed a client relationship with that company because you didn’t hire the boss’s daughter?). One day, we could be that person.

The disparity between those who are exceptionally qualified and those who are seemingly qualified seems to be widening. There appears to be an impenetrable glass ceiling in some levels of society. I think we’re all ready to see through the façade of the underlying plutocracy in our world today. This musing has made me appreciate my network more and more; our success and accomplishments in this world will be earned and will not be the by-product of some legacy-based cronyism.