Through most of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Protestant
Establishment sat atop the American power structure. A relatively small
network of white Protestant men dominated the universities, the world of
finance, the local country clubs and even high government service.
Over the past half–century, a more diverse and meritocratic elite has
replaced the Protestant Establishment. People are more likely to rise on
the basis of grades, test scores, effort and performance.
Yet, as this meritocratic elite has taken over institutions, trust in
them has plummeted. It’s not even clear that the brainy elite is doing a
better job of running them than the old boys’ network. Would we say
that Wall Street is working better now than it did 60 years ago? Or
government? The system is more just, but the outcomes are mixed. The
meritocracy has not fulfilled its promise.
Christopher Hayes of MSNBC and The Nation believes that the problem is
inherent in the nature of meritocracies. In his book, “Twilight of the
Elites,” he argues that meritocratic elites may rise on the basis of
grades, effort and merit, but, to preserve their status, they become
corrupt. They create wildly unequal societies, and then they rig things
so that few can climb the ladders behind them. Meritocracy leads to
oligarchy.
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