5 Problems With the Myth of Meritocracy
And why it's a recipe for disappointment
Reflecting on recent global events, it sparked my curiosity how much the myth of meritocracy is harmful and how it's been shaping people’s behaviour negatively.
When we believe that whatever we achieve it’s only due to a combination of hard work and pure talent, we are ignoring the fact that there’s a whole system that unfairly contributes to our successes.
Let me break the news: nothing is guaranteed. Still, people buy into the idea of a meritocracy, giving them a false sense of entitlement.
When we feel entitled to something, this can lead to negative consequences.
Look at how many changes we've been going through this year. Did you manage to accomplish everything you strived for in 2020? If you did, congrats! But you are an exception.
Even if you invested your time and effort to succeed at something, chances are, it went wrong. How did you feel? Defeated? Or ready for the next challenge?
Younger me would've felt defeated because she didn't accept any outcome that was different from what she had in her mind—the result of this behaviour: disappointment.
If all you can think is what you can get out of your hard work, you're setting yourself up for failure. As my beloved Aerosmith has been singing since 1993 "Life’s a journey, not a destination".
To avoid disappointment, focus on your journey. Enjoy it. Because you know, shit happens. Plans, people and politics, change.
You change.
On the other hand, I understand that changing a mindset is not easy.
If you believe in meritocracy and feel that, if you worked hard enough, you're entitled to receive the results of your work, you might be displaying problematic behaviours.
Here are five traits that highly entitled people who believe in the myth of meritocracy have:
- They have no empathy.
- They don’t share their knowledge.
- They don’t learn from their mistakes.
- They don’t acknowledge their privileges.
- They don’t recognise bias.
If you identify yourself exhibiting any of these, it may be time to reevaluate your attitudes and how it might be not only impacting your life but also others.
1. They have no empathy
I come from a country where you don’t have a choice of not working while in college. Heck, the regular thing is to not go to college at all. However, to afford it, you have to work full time while attending classes.
In my head, if some people were able to work full time and attend college at the same time, everyone should be able to do it — if they didn't, they weren't trying hard enough.
Because I had no empathy for people who said they couldn't do both, I didn’t connect or build a relationship with them. I struggled to accept the fact that other variables could play a crucial part in people’s determination to go to college.
In contrast, when you have empathy, instead of thinking people are lazy and feel sorry for them, you listen to other people's problems attentively and help them get to a better place.
If you’re struggling to feel empathy for someone, you probably falling for the myth of meritocracy. You might be forgetting that not everyone has the same chances you have. Consequently, you miss the opportunity to learn from other people’s experiences and grow.
2. They don’t share their knowledge
When believing in meritocracy, people tend to withhold what they know. In a capitalist society, competitiveness is awarded, which leads people to be afraid of others who are potentially surpassing them in the ladder of life.
Sharing knowledge means you’re helping someone else to improve. In the heads of people who believe in meritocracy, this equals to create a potential threat for themselves.
They even get to the point of playing dumb and lie to people about their skills. They hide it because they can’t stand the thought of someone else getting better than them.
What they don’t realise is that there’s a catch in this behaviour and inevitably it will backfire. See, humans are social creatures; we need each other to get ahead in life and thrive. It was true when we lived in caves and still is now.
Don’t make this mistake and isolate yourself. Remember, when sharing knowledge, you’ll be contributing to a collaborative environment and enabling more creativity and innovation to flourish.
3. They don’t learn from their mistakes
People who believe in meritocracy think they are right all the time. If something goes wrong in their lives, it’s an opportunity to blame someone else. In their heads, their parents, friends, partners, society, the universe, are all in a mission to make their lives difficult.
I’ve been there. I used to refuse to believe that anything that didn’t go my way could potentially be my fault. As a terrible side effect, I repeated the same mistakes over and over again. It was soul-crushing.
Looking back, now I understand the problem was my fear of failure. In a meritocratic society, screwing-up is unacceptable because your efforts are what moves you forward, and you can only go as far as your own merits take you.
Sadly, I missed great growth opportunities by not learning from my mistakes.
A much better approach is to face difficulties as challenges instead of possible failures. This mindset allows you to see yourself as more capable; it motivates you to be more focused and prepared.
From my experience, admitting a mistake — assuming that you’ll either fix it or apologise for it — helps us move on. Also, it makes us aware of what went wrong as you take a mental note never to repeat it.
4. They don’t acknowledge their privileges
Very often, when people get aware of their privileges, they get offended. They instantly get defensive and say they earned their success on their own merits.
They’d rather believe they didn’t have social systemic social advantages to get ahead.
I used to be one of those people who got offended. Because of my modest upbringing, I honestly believed that everything I’d achieved was solely due to my blood, sweat and tears.
Things changed when I let go of my arrogance and recognised that even I, who was born in the most impoverished Brazilian state, didn’t achieve anything alone.
Don't get me wrong, you still have to actively put forth hard work and effort to improve your life and achieve your goals. Nonetheless, once you understand that there’s a whole system that unfairly supports your growth, everything becomes bigger than yourself.
You grow as a person because you’ll no longer stand by a racist, classist and sexist society. You develop moral duties and lead with empathy.
Recently, at her podcast, Michelle Obama said that when you “have it all”, it means somebody else doesn’t have any.
Acknowledging your privileges will benefit you, for sure, but it’ll be nothing compared to the impact you’ll make towards the greater good.
5. They don’t recognise bias
The myth of meritocracy blinds us from seeing society from what it is. In its utopic definition, meritocracy it’s supposed to allow people to improve their social status based on their own capabilities and merits.
However, it doesn’t consider the basis of family, gender, wealth, race, or social background.
How many times have we heard of gender gap? It’s 2020, and women still earn less than men. Nevertheless, people who believe in meritocracy keep ignoring this fact because, for them, everyone has the same opportunities — they will keep favouring men because our patriarchal system makes them seem more capable.
They disregard the Black Lives Matter movement because, as we’re all humans, they choose to believe that we all have the same chances. For instance, in Brazil, 52% of its 209 million population identify themselves as black or mixed-raced; still, white people earn twice as others do.
If you feel uncomfortable with these hard truths, it’s time to question yourself. Try to notice when this feeling surfaces. Uncovering what’s behind this uneasiness will allow you to nip these symptoms in the bud.
Final thought
Writing this article made me reflect on many attitudes and behaviours ingrained in our society that are triggered by the myth of meritocracy. Tiny, hidden thoughts of superiority lead to an unequal society.
Most of the time, all we need is to spot the changes we can make in ourselves and take action to change. I know it’s hard, I’ve been there, but it’s not impossible.
Being aware of these behaviours can help you to improve your life. In the process, it might even inspire change on those around you.