Brett Kavanaugh and Other Members of the Lucky Sperm Club: Attacks on Privileged Upbringing Getting Old

SCOTUS Justice Brett Kavanaugh grew up in a household with parents who were professionals. SCOTUS Justice Sonia Sotomayor didn't. Neither did I. So?

This issue of a privileged background - or membership in the "lucky sperm club" - is getting old. Essentially in America we're accepting that life isn't fair. From conception some have an edge. The joke is: Choose your parents wisely. 

Proof that Radical Acceptance is the current mindset is that Sotomayor had to back down from attacking Kavanaugh for how differently he grew up from her and from so many immigrants and those who get paid by the hour. That mouth-full didn't go over well.

Politico reports:

" ... Sonia Sotomayor apologized Wednesday for suggesting that Justice Brett Kavanaugh had a sheltered upbringing that made him insensitive to day laborers being targeted by the Trump administration for immigration enforcement."

She hadn't mentioned her SCOTUS colleague by name but she didn't have to. Those in the know knew.

As is happening frequently now, Sotomayor has seemed out of touch where we are currently. Actually, the new ethos is to boast about a financially challenging childhood. Better yet, throw in some emotional dysfunction. Early trauma is a marketable subject for attention and attention is the currency of our times. That got Oprah far. 

In these difficult economic times it doesn't help those struggling to find, keep and move on to better work to equip them with a reason to turn inward with self-pity. Had I recognized in the 1950s that I was growing up in the hood and a family system embedded with severe mental illness I probably would have thrown in the towel. Instead I strived in school to get good grades to get a scholarship to college, then a fellowship for doctoral studies.

Had late mayor of Providence, Rhode Island Buddy Cianci not had a chip on his shoulder about - a phrase he favored - not being a member of the lucky sperm club - he might not have wound up in jail. His resentment seemed to unleash the rage which undid him.

Life in not only not fair. Right now it's being lived in a raw phase of capitalism. To survive and maybe even get ahead we have to use what we got. Not get stuck in feeling sorry for ourselves. No one cares. And help isn't on the way. As I tell those I coach: It's up to you. 

Earning a Good Living in 2026 Involves Mental Combat. The enemy is usually your own thinking.

Complimentary consultation. No Pressure. Solid Guidance. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.




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