"pulling yourself up by the bootstraps"

this is some classic conservative rhetoric, but I really wanna know what you guys think of it?
is it REALLY possible for an individual from a disadvantaged background to "pull himself up" and become a contributing member of society? what are the barriers that keep this from happening?

i believe in it to a degree. a lot of the things i've accomplished had a lot to do with me grinding and working for it.
but i also believe that had i come from a more privileged (or at least middle class) background, it would have been a lot less difficult for me to have achieved these things. but it isn't impossible at all. it's quite feasible.

what say you GNS?