All very well, and and very compassionate. But telling people that they're going to fail, or have failed, because Evil Forces Are Aligned Against Them and there's nothing they can do does them no favors. "Sorry mate, you can't win, the game is rigged against you, it's all the fault of The Bad Guys (whoever the Bad Guys du jour happen to be).
Give folks a sympathetic ear? Of course. Then encourage them, push them, harangue them, cheer their victories, sympathize with their failures, and make sure that they know that they are the ones respnsible for their success or lack thereof. If you care about them, don't give them excuses, don't let them give up, don't allow them to cop out, and never let them believe that they can't succeed for any reason at all.
I don't see it as "No matter what you do, you will fail", I see it as being honest, and giving credence to the experiences of people who are not me. And to challenge systems designed to make people fail even in spite of effort. One can, of course, overcome those systems--but that doesn't mean that those systems should be left unchallenged and unchanged.
If a system was designed to hurt a particular group of people, should we not challenge it because some overcome it? Or should we bring reform, so that we can better establish equity in our society for the equal opportunity of all?
Three men are going to race, in a fair race all three are at the same position at the starting line, and all three begin running when the signal is given. But it is an unfair race if we put extra obstacles in front of one racer, or if we force them to begin further back, or don't let them run until the others have already gotten through half the race track. That doesn't mean that one can't still win, or place well in the race--but the odds have been unfairly stacked against them, and "life's not fair" isn't an adequate to address this, not when something can be made more fair.
What is being declared here is that we recognize the unfair disadvantages which have purposefully been designed into the race for certain participants. And that we level the playing field to design fairness and equity for all into that race. So that grit, determination, and merit actually do matter equally to all.
When I was a child I attended a small religious school that was attached to a particular church, my family weren't members of that church. It became clear to me while I was a student there that I was treated differently because of this. I had teachers (not all, but some) who definitely showed preferential treatment to those students whose parents were church members. My parents didn't believe me, or my younger brother, when we shared our experiences from school, believing we were simply just kids expressing our dislike of school. It wasn't until many years later, when we no longer attended that school, that my parents began to hear similar stories from other parents about how their kids were treated that they realized that we weren't exaggerating or lying, but telling the truth.
I don't share this because "I'm a victim, woe is me!" I share this because I remember the pain as a child wanting to fit in, wanting to have friends, and wanting to try my best and being constantly discouraged and rebuffed for my efforts. I remember hating how I felt, I remember hating myself for feeling worthless. And I don't want anyone to feel like I did--and my experience is nothing at all compared to how millions of people are made to feel every day.
I want people to feel like their efforts matter, that when they work hard they are rewarded for their merit, not their privilege.
-CryptoLutheran