There are so many people in this world who seem to rise to the top buoyed only by the privilege they were born into. This story is just another shameful example of the culture of nepotism that exists in our country: This 5-year-old boy was just appointed grocery shopping helper by his own parents.
Wow. Just appalling.
Five-year-old Henry Breyer had only to waltz into the Giant Foods in his hometown of Columbus, OH this morning before his father selected him as an Official Grocery Shopping Helper, providing his own son with the opportunity to act as the lead assistant to his mom and dad on their weekly food shopping trip despite his having no relevant expertise on the subject of groceries.
The fact that Henry was severely underqualified for the position was clearly not even a consideration—he was instantly put in charge of keeping an eye out for the Cheerios, and he faced absolutely no repercussions when he totally passed them by after getting distracted by a pack of brightly colored chip clips displayed in the same aisle. Surely there were hundreds of reliable, hard-working people sitting at home unemployed who could have found the 2% milk for Henry’s mom in half the time it took Henry to do so, but apparently competence isn’t what matters when it’s your own Mommy and Daddy who need assistance in the store.
Yep, it must be nice when your parents are the ones deciding whether you’re the only big strong boy who can carry the 12-pack of toilet paper all the way to the car. If Henry had been born into any other family, we seriously doubt that he would have had such an easy time getting chosen for that role.
And people call our system a meritocracy. It’s absolutely disgraceful.
Given the conflict of interest inherent in the situation, pretty much no one else ever had a chance to be appointed Mommy’s Special Apple Picker in the produce section today—no, it was always going to be Henry grinning the grin of a boy totally insulated from failure as he was chosen to help his mother decide whether the apples they had taken from the apple bin were nice and shiny. And keep in mind, this is the same kid who was put in charge of passing Daddy his tools while he was working on the shed last week even though he barely even knows the difference between a wrench and a set of pliers.
The favors just keep on rolling in, don’t they, Henry? Must be nice.
It would be wonderful if we lived in a society where the most qualified person is always selected for the job, but clearly that isn’t the case. This story is a disheartening reminder that often, it’s the circumstances of your birth that determine your success in life. Maybe one day, Henry will be hit with a reality check about his grocery-shopping skills—but until then, it seems like he has it made. So unfair.
