by
Emily Chang
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41
Chapter 2
The Paypal mafia and the myth of the meritocracy
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3
2.
Citizen Thiel
by Guy Patrick Cunningham
(missing author)
a review of Peter Thiel's Zero to One. some good ruminations on meritocracy, inequality, competition, technology and power
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3
1
Citizen Thiel
by Guy Patrick Cunningham
(missing author)
a review of Peter Thiel's Zero to One. some good ruminations on meritocracy, inequality, competition, technology and power
0 / 3
185
6.
Climbing Mountains
- 1958, Michael Young's book The Rise of the Meritocracy came out (meant as a satire about grammar schools)
- because of standardised tests (meant to separate wheat from chaff), a very narrow definition of merit was developed and institutionalised
- looking at social mobility based on the class one's parents came from vs current class, it's obvious that those higher up have it easier (analogy with climbing a mountain & diff starting points)
- the elite class is obviously more exclusive than the others
- occupation-wise, some newer job categories are more open to underprivileged
- there are pay gaps within each occupation based on social class background
- "mutual reinforcement" of advantage in the upper levels of social hierarchy
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185
Climbing Mountains
- 1958, Michael Young's book The Rise of the Meritocracy came out (meant as a satire about grammar schools)
- because of standardised tests (meant to separate wheat from chaff), a very narrow definition of merit was developed and institutionalised
- looking at social mobility based on the class one's parents came from vs current class, it's obvious that those higher up have it easier (analogy with climbing a mountain & diff starting points)
- the elite class is obviously more exclusive than the others
- occupation-wise, some newer job categories are more open to underprivileged
- there are pay gaps within each occupation based on social class background
- "mutual reinforcement" of advantage in the upper levels of social hierarchy
389
Conclusion
The Old New Politics of Class in the 21st Century
- changing relationship between politics & class in recent years, esp due to Thatcher/Blair years
- occupation becoming less important
- meritocracy is not a solution for greater social mobility & dissolving class boundaries
imo: perhaps the younger generation (who are starting to see the cracks in the edifice) are realising what older ones couldn't, or wouldn't: that the whole structure is unnecessary and should be torn down. rather than simply taking their place in it (the way their parents may have done) they're rejecting the concept of the hierarchy entirely? that's the hope anyway
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389
Conclusion
The Old New Politics of Class in the 21st Century
- changing relationship between politics & class in recent years, esp due to Thatcher/Blair years
- occupation becoming less important
- meritocracy is not a solution for greater social mobility & dissolving class boundaries
imo: perhaps the younger generation (who are starting to see the cracks in the edifice) are realising what older ones couldn't, or wouldn't: that the whole structure is unnecessary and should be torn down. rather than simply taking their place in it (the way their parents may have done) they're rejecting the concept of the hierarchy entirely? that's the hope anyway
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135
Meritocracy
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1
15
The Book
- data from tax records
- capital-income ratio and r > g
- the myth of meritocracy (so essential to neoliberal capitalism) is starting to lose legitimacy as inherited wealth plays a larger role
- solution: global wealth tax, less than r, and only for larger fortunes
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4
15
The Book
- data from tax records
- capital-income ratio and r > g
- the myth of meritocracy (so essential to neoliberal capitalism) is starting to lose legitimacy as inherited wealth plays a larger role
- solution: global wealth tax, less than r, and only for larger fortunes
301
9.
The View at the Top
- here we're focusing on the ordinary wealthy elite (not the super-rich), ~6% of pop
- lots of them feel a sense of guilt/discomfort with the rising house prices that propelled them into this class
- for those who are there due to income, meritocracy is very useful as a morally loaded term (or alibi) that lets them feel absolved of guilt (they "deserved" to be there)
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301
The View at the Top
- here we're focusing on the ordinary wealthy elite (not the super-rich), ~6% of pop
- lots of them feel a sense of guilt/discomfort with the rising house prices that propelled them into this class
- for those who are there due to income, meritocracy is very useful as a morally loaded term (or alibi) that lets them feel absolved of guilt (they "deserved" to be there)