A social phenomenon in which individuals or groups who have successfully advanced in status, wealth, or opportunity then act to block others from accessing the same path upward.
Key Features:
Motivated by fear of competition, scarcity mindset, or desire to protect hard-won status.
Can manifest in politics (e.g., immigrants opposing immigration), economics (e.g., professionals gatekeeping their fields), or class mobility (e.g., elites dismantling welfare or education programs they once benefited from).
Example (fictional): Raymond Leon in the movie "In Time" rises out of poverty to become a Timekeeper but enforces the very system that traps others where he once was.
Example (real): An immigrant who gained citizenship but campaigns to restrict immigration for others.
Key Features:
Motivated by fear of competition, scarcity mindset, or desire to protect hard-won status.
Can manifest in politics (e.g., immigrants opposing immigration), economics (e.g., professionals gatekeeping their fields), or class mobility (e.g., elites dismantling welfare or education programs they once benefited from).
Example (fictional): Raymond Leon in the movie "In Time" rises out of poverty to become a Timekeeper but enforces the very system that traps others where he once was.
Example (real): An immigrant who gained citizenship but campaigns to restrict immigration for others.
1. After becoming wealthy through public education, the politician now opposes funding for schools, effectively pulling up the ladder behind him.
2. Some immigrants, once they gain citizenship, support restrictive immigration policies — a classic case of pulling up the ladder.
2. Some immigrants, once they gain citizenship, support restrictive immigration policies — a classic case of pulling up the ladder.
by Social Climber September 16, 2025
Get the Pulling Up the Ladder mug.sheet pulling up the ass: she sucked my dick so hard that it pulled the sheets up my ass from the suction
by ABCPimp August 25, 2011
Get the sheet pulling up the ass mug.A term used by large nosed Muslims when they come to the establishment 4 hours after promsing to come at the promised time.
Person 1: Yo I'm pullin' up soon for some burgers
Person 2: Nigga you ain't coming for shit, you said that last time, and I was waitin for 4 hours with my dick in my hand. Fuck off
Person 1: ...
Person 2: Nigga you ain't coming for shit, you said that last time, and I was waitin for 4 hours with my dick in my hand. Fuck off
Person 1: ...
by Sir Scum July 13, 2020
Get the I'm pullin' up soon mug.by bonesteel April 13, 2014
Get the im about to be pullin up mug.Chris: Oh my god, Lily was totally pulling an upton last night
Dennis: I know, she didn't even sleep with John! And she only had one beer!
Dennis: I know, she didn't even sleep with John! And she only had one beer!
by BlueBlossom November 20, 2016
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