> What is considered “merit-worthy” is defined by the society implementing it. There is no such thing as objective universal merit across time and culture. I t

> What is considered “merit-worthy” is defined by the society implementing it. There is no such thing as objective universal merit across time and culture. I think the point of the comment you're responding to is that it's not defined by the society implementing it, but by those in power. So whether the idea of 'merit' changes across time and culture might be true, but is beside the point.