The thing that isn’t perhaps generally understood is that the ruling classes, i.e. the plutocratic and political classes, got there by accident. We tell oursel

The thing that isn’t perhaps generally understood is that the ruling classes, i.e. the plutocratic and political classes, got there by accident. We tell ourselves tales of their merit and struggle, and indeed they generally tell themselves the same tales, for it makes the world seem a more virtuous and just place. In the past, the arbitrary nature of leadership was self-evident, with a hereditary aristocracy - you could have a cocker spaniel on the throne and you’d still have to call it “your majesty”. Now, in our meritocratic world, it’s possible for anyone to ascend to lofty heights - but the path is not “work hard”, rather “be in the right place at the right time”. The chances of the latter are enhanced by accidents of birth - but ultimately, who makes it into the upper echelons of society and who does not is largely driven by pure luck, rather than any particular virtue. And QED, you have a gaggle of rather average people who believe in their own superiority engaging in mutual backslapping at the WEF.