I agree with you. I see two threads of meritocracy in American life: 1. The meritocracy tied into Christian belief - that person has sinned (whatever you inter

I agree with you. I see two threads of meritocracy in American life: 1. The meritocracy tied into Christian belief - that person has sinned (whatever you interpret sin to be), therefore of course their life is like that. 2. The ignorance of never having experienced a life where your merit doesn't influence your personal success. One sickness, accident, etc, usually starts to 'cure' this mindset.