I think that this may be mostly an American thing. This is why in Europe we have better social systems (national health, etc): generally, we don't think the poor are people who fucked their lives up, we think that they're mostly unlucky and we should help them. This may, or may not, be one of the causes of social mobility being greater here (http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21595437-america...).
I've always disliked the American rhetoric (I'm sometimes tempted to use the word "propaganda") of being a self-made man, precisely because of this corollary.
I've always disliked the American rhetoric (I'm sometimes tempted to use the word "propaganda") of being a self-made man, precisely because of this corollary.