See Lyotard and his notion of Grand Narratives. The uniquely American Self Made Man conveniently overlooks wealth accumulated by men vis a vis free labour. To constrict these men, to suggest their wealth wasn’t “earned”, is to deny the other men of lesser social position of the “opportunity” to do so themselves.

That is, the myth perpetuates the energy that permits the men running these insurance companies to make billions. All reinforced by the whimsical meth-addled pipe dream that “I could be king too, one day” of the legion of white men of lesser caste.