"There is a dark side to the peppy culture of pretty advice….The result may feel good and empowering,..."

“There is a dark side to the peppy culture of pretty advice….The result may feel good and empowering, but it also creates the distorted impression that an individual’s good work, alone, will translate to a proportional reward. Conversely, failures stemming from other factors—like ingrained structural prejudice or simply bad timing—may too easily be misattributed to an individual’s lack of commitment, failure to work hard enough, or insufficient love-doing. A culture of self-help advice fosters a belief that we exist in a pure meritocracy, where everything is fair, and that our shared work of shaping an equitable community is done.”

- Kelli Anderson, “The Price of Advice” (via austinkleon)

from Stowe Boyd http://stoweboyd.com/post/128936413732