7 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)
View submission: The Business-School Scandal That Just Keeps Getting Bigger
This is getting a bit philosophical but just because there are people who do succeed fairly doesn’t disprove that the system is unfair. In my opinion a true meritocracy is a level playing field for all. If person A is objectively better they should succeed over person B who is not as good. This isn’t the case in capitalism (I should have led more with this more so being a critique of capitalism). There are so many factors and a small portion of that IS effort and skill but things like family, race, social status, wealth can play a much larger roll.
Nepo babies are an interesting example and hearing some of them speak frankly about how they fully understand the advantages they had. It’s not that they don’t work hard (well some don’t) but it’s naive for them to think they did it “on their own”
Maybe that’s what my main point is, no person is an island (again there are always exceptions) and more often than not succeeding is helped along by external factors.
Comment by hillsfar at 28/11/2024 at 02:12 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Even in ostensibly socialist or communist systems, human factors are at play. From the Castro family holding the reins in Cuba to Chavez’s daughter being a billionaire, to Russian *nomenklatura* and Chinese party officials’ “princeling” kids.
A Soviet kid in Moscow or Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) is likely to have much better opportunities than some kid that attended school in Siberia.
And of course, looks, poise, charisma, friendships, schoolmates, shared interests, and access to resources (like being a vodka factory delivery truck driver), even certain skills, etc. also play a role.
Comment by [deleted] at 27/11/2024 at 21:47 UTC*
-4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
[deleted]