I am puzzled when I see railing against meritocracy - what exactly is the alternative and how and why is it better? It is no wonder that the pejorative meaning

I am puzzled when I see railing against meritocracy - what exactly is the alternative and how and why is it better? It is no wonder that the pejorative meaning didn't stick when there was a failure to show how it would be worse than the existing system. The obvious solution to the elite getting more opportunities is to increase the availability of it across the board to narrow the gap so others can meet their potential as well - meritocracy isn't guaranteed callous social darwinism. The only logical reason I can see is not wanting competition from those better.