I prefer to think society doesn’t believe this because they are innocently misguided but because those with wealth and power have an incentive to push such narr

I prefer to think society doesn’t believe this because they are innocently misguided but because those with wealth and power have an incentive to push such narratives. If people think you’re rich because you’re a genius, they’re more likely to accept that you “deserve” your wealth and success and be less likely to think it should be redistributed. It’s also a useful way of downplaying all the other factors like social status, family connections, etc.