3 ms·

It rubs you the wrong way because you don't understand it. It is blatantly obvious, but some people do not have the ability to see it. Those who have eyes to se

It rubs you the wrong way because you don't understand it. It is blatantly obvious, but some people do not have the ability to see it. Those who have eyes to see see it, no matter who lies. Nobody is telling anybody to shut up, just that it is obvious that there is no meritocracy, even if you cannot see that truth.

manfredo 8y ago
There is no meritocracy? So if we compare a kid spends all of his or her childhood doing nothing productive and slacking off in school, a kid that studies rigorously and is engaged in productive activities then you'd expect absolutely zero difference in success between the two in a non-meritocratic system. Let's put that theory to the test. Let's see if college admissions are, at least in part, meritocratic. College admissions depends highly on SAT scores and GPAs, these are probably one of the two strongest factors. Even just spending 20 hours following along with free videos is associated with a >100 point gain on SAT scores [1]. Spending more time on studying does increase grades on average [2]. Test scores and grades are some of the primary factors that determine, for example, college admissions. So, yes there is empirical evidence to suggest that college admissions do depend on several meritocratic factors. Granted you're right that it's not completely a meritocracy. Factors outside of the applicant's control like race, gender, and family background are taken into account. An Asian student and a Black student are going to be judged very differently if they have the same scores - that is at least one instance where the system is not genuine meritocracy. 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/09/can-coaching-truly-boost-sat-scores-for-years-the-college-board-said-no-now-it-says-yes/?utm_term=.fd8cf3c3c57d https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/... 2. https://news.osu.edu/the-secret-to-academic-success-hours----and-hours----of-study/ https://news.osu.edu/the-secret-to-academic-success-hours---...
- Data_Junkie 8y ago
  We have different ideas what a meritocracy is. You believe any examples ( as you've given) are evidence of a meritocracy. That's not true. That's like saying it's a democracy if we elect a class leader. We have different standards.

manfredo 8y ago

There is no meritocracy? So if we compare a kid spends all of his or her childhood doing nothing productive and slacking off in school, a kid that studies rigorously and is engaged in productive activities then you'd expect absolutely zero difference in success between the two in a non-meritocratic system. Let's put that theory to the test. Let's see if college admissions are, at least in part, meritocratic. College admissions depends highly on SAT scores and GPAs, these are probably one of the two strongest factors. Even just spending 20 hours following along with free videos is associated with a >100 point gain on SAT scores [1]. Spending more time on studying does increase grades on average [2]. Test scores and grades are some of the primary factors that determine, for example, college admissions. So, yes there is empirical evidence to suggest that college admissions do depend on several meritocratic factors. Granted you're right that it's not completely a meritocracy. Factors outside of the applicant's control like race, gender, and family background are taken into account. An Asian student and a Black student are going to be judged very differently if they have the same scores - that is at least one instance where the system is not genuine meritocracy. 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/09/can-coaching-truly-boost-sat-scores-for-years-the-college-board-said-no-now-it-says-yes/?utm_term=.fd8cf3c3c57d https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/... 2. https://news.osu.edu/the-secret-to-academic-success-hours----and-hours----of-study/ https://news.osu.edu/the-secret-to-academic-success-hours---...

Data_Junkie 8y ago
We have different ideas what a meritocracy is. You believe any examples ( as you've given) are evidence of a meritocracy. That's not true. That's like saying it's a democracy if we elect a class leader. We have different standards.