The bootstraps narrative is near and dear to Americans’ hearts. But it’s a fiction, one that obscures complex relationships of interdependence and generates a culture of self-blame. It’s time to bust the myth for good.
Category: Meritocracy Myth
In truth, the emperor has no clothes. The meritocracy of American capitalism is a myth built on smoke and mirrors, on lies and false confidence. The current long-overdue conversation around nepo babies may help to further class consciousness among Americans who may see a bit more clearly now just how scantily clad the emperor really is.
Source: Nepotism Babies and the Myth of American Meritocracy | The Smirking Chimp
Julia Banks announced her decision to quit the Australian Liberal Party yesterday. While unfortunate, it is hardly surprising. It’s the result of what happens when parliament and politicians fail to represent the people they serve and cling to the myth of meritocracy. Banks is not buying it anymore and neither should the Australian people.
The president and his supreme court nominee have been claiming they rose to the top all on their own. Sadly, stretching the truth is not confined to them
This is “luck” of a most pernicious kind. When one person is given a job because of who they know, someone else misses out on that job because they didn’t know the right people. If we were starting society from scratch, perhaps that would be alright. But we’re starting from a place in which most powerful positions are held by white men (like myself). And who are those privileged white men more likely to know? Other privileged white men. This might be most obvious in high-profile positions, but it starts early in the workforce, and is compounded over time.
The three words with more influence over our national life than any others remain who you know. “Luck” is one word for this. “Systematic discrimination” would be more accurate.
via Three words with more influence over our national life than any others
It’s no easier to move from rags to riches in Australia than it used to be, and no easier than anywhere else, a new study of surnames finds.
Source: All in the family: Surnames show elite jobs pass from generation to generation
An original member of Black Lives Matter says the movement has played a key role in highlighting how race, gender, sexuality and class oppression intersect
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