WE (DON'T) WANT MERITOCRACY
(Image from maskedcrusader.blogspot.com)
What kind of world would we live in, ideally?
My guess is that, if asked such a question, most people would say we should live in a meritocracy. That is, a society in which, regardless of your start in life you can, with sufficient hard work and nurturing of appropriate skills, achieve any measure of success. When she took on the role of Prime Minister, Theresa May spoke in favour of meritocracy and highlighted how far the UK is from that ideal at this state in time:
"We believe in a union not just between the nations of the United Kingdom, but between all of our citizens, every one of us, whoever we are and wherever we are from. That means fighting against the burning injustice that if you’re born poor you will die on average nine years earlier than others. If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white. If you’re a white, working class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university".
But, then, such sentiments have been spoken by every Prime Minister. I could be mistaken, but I don't believe any PM ever addressed the nation saying, "as Prime Minister, I shall be working in the interests of the wealthiest in our country. I shall put in place policies and laws that ensure the inequality gap gets wider, that rewards go predominantly to those in the .1% wealth bracket while the majority's income barely keeps up with inflation". Always there is the same pledge to reduce priviledge, the promise that wealth will be more justly distributed and that tomorrow your chance to shine will be less dependent on who you know and reliant instead on your own efforts. Yet, somehow, such a reality is never brought about.
Why not?
My hunch is because, while we may say we want a meritocracy, secretly what we want is favouritism- provided of course that the favouritism is directed toward our own loved ones. We want our sons and daughters to be selected to go to the best schools, to be given places in the best universities, to land the best jobs. That is not to say that we would insist our children were favoured over others even when it is all too obvious that their ability falls woefully short. But I do think that we tend to be biased toward our own children and do what we can to ensure their journey to success is as smooth as it possibly can be. It is only natural that family should want to give their own every advantage and I do not think there would be many parents who would not give their loved ones a head start were it in their power to do so.
Most of us cannot exercise much influence and give our kids an advantage over all others. But there are a few who do have sufficient power to ensure the door of opportunity is more likely to swing open for their own. And so, despite all the fine speeches about ending cronyism and providing life chances for all regardless of background, that inequality gap is always present.
