Meritocracy may not be what you think it is, or achieve the results you assume. See recent books by Markovits and Sandel: * https://www.vox.com/policy-and-poli

Meritocracy may not be what you think it is, or achieve the results you assume. See recent books by Markovits and Sandel: * https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/24/20919030/meritocracy-book-daniel-markovits-inequality-rich https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/24/20919030/... * https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/10/21/20897021/meritocracy-economic-mobility-daniel-markovits https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/10/21/20897021/meritocra... * https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/a-belief-in-meritocracy-is-not-only-false-its-bad-for-you https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/a-belief-in-meritocracy-is... * https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/01/the-myth-of-meritocracy-according-to-michael-sandel/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/01/the-myth-of-m... * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy#Criticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy#Criticism The word's modern popularity originated in a pejorative meaning which was then lost: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_of_the_Meritocracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_of_the_Meritocracy Once people 'are in', they get more resources, and that allows for (e.g.) their children to have more opportunities, and so they then in turn win. If you have a person who does not 'get in' and 'win', then they have fewer resources / opportunities to show or develop what skills they may have: a doom-loop can become possible. As an example of what resources can get you: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varsity_Blues_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varsity_Blues_scandal * https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/rick-singer-mastermind-of-college-admissions-bribery-scandal-set-to-be-sentenced https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/rick-singer-mastermin...