A new myth appeared during the presidential campaign of Andrew Jackson

Self‑Made Myth vs. Collective Dependence

• Many argue the “self‑made man” is socially harmful: no one succeeds alone; all achievement builds on prior work, institutions, and support.
• Others counter that some individuals clearly “move the needle” more than others and that denying this is also misleading.
• Several commenters distinguish between:
  • A trivial sense (“no one literally operates in a vacuum”), and
  • The stronger claim that individual agency is almost irrelevant compared to structures, which they reject.

Privilege, Slavery, and Wealth Origins

• A faction ties US wealth—especially white and “WASP” wealth—to slavery, land theft from Native Americans, and colonial violence; they frame the self‑made myth as a cover for historical injustice.
• Pushback claims:
  • Native societies were relatively low‑wealth and sparse; settlers couldn’t have become rich merely by expropriating them.
  • Much land changed hands via sale or intertribal conflict; not all was straightforward “theft.”
• There is extended, contentious debate over who “owns everything,” the meaning of “WASP,” and whether focusing on racialized categories clarifies history or fuels modern racial tension.

Individual Responsibility, Luck, and Merit

• One line of discussion frames success as a mix of: circumstances, group support, luck, and individual choices.
• Some say giving “the group” primary credit ignores that many with similar advantages fail; others reply that “owing” something to society doesn’t imply guaranteed outcomes.
• Debate touches on free will: if everything is deterministic, “credit” and “blame” are philosophically shaky.

Great Man Theory, Kings, and Political Economy

• Several comments argue for a “both/and”: individuals can be uniquely important, but only within enabling social structures.
• Disagreements arise over whether celebrating “great men” (kings, founders, billionaires) inherently devalues ordinary people or is just recognition of outsized impact.
• Long subthreads explore monarchy, historical moral judgment (especially slavery), capitalism vs socialism, and whether any “incorruptible” democratic system is even possible; participants are sharply divided and often talk past each other.

Meta

• One commenter criticizes the thread for drifting into generic ideology and away from the specific historical nuances of the Jackson essay.