Look, I was not trying to attack you personally. If I came across as ad hominem / slandering, and maybe I did, then I apologize.

If you don't like the links, feel free to disregard them. I tend to add those to my replies so anyone who reads my comments can get an idea where I'm coming from. More importantly, people can point out problems with the concepts I'm building my opinion on. When that happens, I often end up having to adjust said opinions, which is great.

That said, I really do believe that there is a fundamental problem with the way in which the responsibility for dealing with society's maldevelopments is shifted towards the individual - and that shifting quite often happens, as I pointed out, disguised as advice. The problem with said advice tends to be that, while it may make sense from the point of view of the adivce giver, it ignores the strict institutionalized restrictions imposed upon the actual options available to the receiver. This can actually be quite dangerous to the mental well-being of someone who is ultimately unable to compete against the odds stacked against him, but who may accept that he really is "the master of his own fortune". Such a person is going to internalize the resulting frustrations, which serves as a powerful individual depressant and at the same time does nothing to contribute to any change of the status quo.

Now, if I know someone really well - his current socio-economic situation, his history, the entire framework he's dealing with - then I may actually be able to identify instances where it's really just a matter of him taking things into his own hands - "get busy livin' or get busy dyin'". Maybe you have that kind of relationship with camarillobrillo, in which case I jumped to conclusions and need to apologize again.

My assumption, though, is that you don't really know too much about him or her. In which case there has to be some reason for your immediate assumption that "You don't have options because you think you don't have options" and "Get a nursing degree" are appropriate statements. The most probable reason I can think of in such an instance is that there is indeed some variety of just world fallacy in its broader sense at work. Your story about that family member who gets thrown out of college just to rise to the top also implied a "the strong overcome all odds" Neo-lib vibe to me. You know, that whole narrative which never fails to tell tales of the winners but tends to forget about the considerable number of players who have to lose so the jackpot can be worth it. Again, I may be wrong.