Right and Left Both Attack Merit-Based Society: Zakaria
gvw_gv_wire
By gvwire
Published 7 years ago on
July 3, 2018

Share

Before merit-based systems became a dominant force in the way most modern societies are organized, individual advancement was determined largely by one’s connection to those in power.
In that era, Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria says, “people moved up in the world through a clubby, informal system that privileged wealth, social status and family connections.” In many Western countries, this insular approach was gradually replaced by a process that rewarded individual ability, regardless of background.

Meritocracy Under Fire

Though broadly understood to be an equitable and enlightened concept, Zakaria says in his June 29 column, meritocracy has lately come under attack from critics across the political spectrum.
“On the right, many of President Trump’s supporters see it as a code word for an out-of-touch establishment that looks down on ordinary, hard-working Americans. In Britain, Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for a more meritocratic society was assailed on the left as a concept that breeds elitism and inequality.”
Zakaria points to efforts  by the progressive mayor of New York to eliminate the use of a single test to determine admission to the city’s selective high schools to address what he calls “a diversity problem.”
The test, Zakaria notes, “is designed to find talented students, not to raise up specific minorities. Most importantly, these schools have an astonishing track record of moving smart kids out of poverty and into the middle class.” Regardless, Zakaria says the effort reflects “a discomfort on the left with the idea of any kind of hierarchy of talent.”

Resurgence of ‘Old-Boy Networks’

If meritocracy is ultimately abandoned over charges of elitism on the right and equity issues on the left, Zakaria asks, “What would you replace it with?
He worries that such a development could result in the return of old-boy networks from the not-so-distant past.
“Historically, that was a process that smuggled in prejudice and preferences, based on class, race, religion, politics and money,” Zakaria says. “It did not find or promote talent, nor create much social mobility.”
You can read Zakaria’s full commentary, Meritocracy is under attack, at The Washington Post.

DON'T MISS

23 for ’23: A Year in Photos

DON'T MISS

See How this Fresno roastery sends aid to Northern Thailand.

DON'T MISS

District Says Fresno Teachers Contract Proposal Would Bankrupt Budget Reserves by Year 3

DON'T MISS

Trump Vows to Ban Gaza Refugees, Expand Muslim Travel Ban If He Wins

DON'T MISS

The Supreme Court Orders Makers of Gun Parts to Comply with Rules on Ghost Guns

DON'T MISS

George W. Bush for Speaker? A Democratic Lawmaker Thinks It’s Possible

DON'T MISS

Former Navy IT Manager Gets Five Years for Hacking, ID Theft

DON'T MISS

Gunman Kills Two Swedes in Brussels, Prompting Terror Alert and Halt of Belgium-Sweden Soccer Match

DON'T MISS

Zakaria: The Best Response to Hamas Would Be to Keep the Saudi Deal Alive

DON'T MISS

Groundbreaking Human Brain Atlas Offers New Hope for Treating Neurological Disorders

UP NEXT

What Does Destroying Gaza Solve?

UP NEXT

How Liberal California Compares to Florida, Texas on Social Media Regulation

UP NEXT

California’s Widening Housing Gap Defies State Efforts to Jump-Start Construction

UP NEXT

Both Israelis and Palestinians Are Victims of Israel’s Apartheid System  

UP NEXT

Both Israelis and Palestinians Are Victims of Israel’s Apartheid System  

UP NEXT

Revisiting Israel’s Alleged Use of White Phosphorus Amid Renewed Conflict

UP NEXT

Hamas’s Unexpected Attack Forces Israel to Rethink Its Palestinian Strategy

UP NEXT

CA’s Safety-Net Hospitals Can’t Afford $25 an Hour Minimum Wage

UP NEXT

Newsom Signs Bill That May Resurrect Pledge on Single-Payer Health Care

UP NEXT

Economic Uncertainty Prompts More Newsom Vetoes as California Tax Deadline Nears

You May like

Trump Vows to Ban Gaza Refugees, Expand Muslim Travel Ban If He Wins

1 year ago

The Supreme Court Orders Makers of Gun Parts to Comply with Rules on Ghost Guns

1 year ago

George W. Bush for Speaker? A Democratic Lawmaker Thinks It’s Possible

1 year ago

Former Navy IT Manager Gets Five Years for Hacking, ID Theft

1 year ago

Gunman Kills Two Swedes in Brussels, Prompting Terror Alert and Halt of Belgium-Sweden Soccer Match

1 year ago

Zakaria: The Best Response to Hamas Would Be to Keep the Saudi Deal Alive

1 year ago

Groundbreaking Human Brain Atlas Offers New Hope for Treating Neurological Disorders

1 year ago

Newsom Signs Law to Slowly Raise Healthcare Minimum Wage to $25

1 year ago

Former Fresno CC Coach Ed Madec Arrested for Allegedly Threatening to Kill Chancellor

1 year ago

Jim Jordan’s Rapid Rise Cheered by Trump and Far Right. Could It Make Him Speaker?

1 year ago

HOT OFF THE PRESS

23 for ’23: A Year in Photos

1 year ago

1 year ago

Trump Vows to Ban Gaza Refugees, Expand Muslim Travel Ban If He Wins

1 year ago

The Supreme Court Orders Makers of Gun Parts to Comply with Rules on Ghost Guns

Photo of a hacker typing on a laptop

1 year ago

Former Navy IT Manager Gets Five Years for Hacking, ID Theft

1 year ago

Gunman Kills Two Swedes in Brussels, Prompting Terror Alert and Halt of Belgium-Sweden Soccer Match