Is Everything Just Nepotism Now?

From the tribe chieftain’s son leading the hunt to the Habsburgs ruling half of Europe to the Formula 1 racer driving for the team owned by his father, nepotism has existed for as long as humans have. But why does it feel like, recently, everything we know has been plagued by it?

From entertainment to music to fashion—and basically anything else you can think of—some form of nepotism exists. Even what was once considered the great equalizer, the ultimate meritocracy—the Internet—has become a place where only those with the time and means can succeed. For a while, the idea of the American Dream, where if you worked hard enough and were talented enough eventually you could make your dreams come true, seemed possible. But it has become harder and harder to believe in this fantasy when, day in and day out, all you see are the sons of and daughters of gallivanting around Hollywood and fashion week, simply off the backs of their family names.

Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with taking advantage of the opportunities presented to you. The issue, however, lies in the laziness of a system that fails to discover new talent unless that talent has already broken through to the mainstream on its own. Nowadays, it seems the only way to get the attention of the higher-ups is to pour in countless hours of work and gallons of blood, sweat, and tears—just so they can swoop in like vultures at the last second and take their pound of flesh. While there is an endless number of artists trying to make a name for themselves, the system is too busy fighting over the so-called low-hanging fruit instead of searching for the next big thing.

The truth is, nepotism has always existed and always will. What is in our control, however, is who and what we give our money and attention to. Without the masses supporting this modern-day equivalent of royalty, the entire system would be forced to change or cease to exist. But until that change happens, remember to support your struggling artists!