The real joke is that we're not such a miserably moronic species that we need such invasive meritocracies. People are far more competent than we think:
"Numerous studies over the past thirty years have shown that when
people of any age and any ability level are faced with mathematical
challenges that arise naturally in a real-world context that has
meaning for them, and where the outcome directly matters to them,
they rapidly achieve a high level of competence. How high?
Typically 98 percent, that's how high. [...] I also provide an
explanation of why those same people, when presented with the very
same mathematical challenges in a traditional paper-and-pencil
classroom fashion, perform at a lowly 37 percent level."
— Keith Devin, http://www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_06_10.html
(The nice thing about Participatory Economics is that it brings up meritocracy early, and provides arguments why we'd want to reject it for allocating decisionmaking power.)
When I'm personally subject to a foolishly "meritocratic" system, it's clear that it's competitive; so there's enormous pressures to hoard knowledge and let many problems (which few know how to quickly solve) fester.
All the best,
Tj
On Fri, Jun 8, 2012 at 5:09 PM, David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Are we supposed to believe that our current plight lies with the nature of the meritocracy, rather than its simple existence in a capitalist framework? Has the meritocracy "gone wrong?"
>
> http://www.thenation.com/article/168265/why-elites-fail?rel=emailNation
>
> Twilight of the Elites: A Conversation with Christopher Hayes and Katrina vanden Heuvel
>
> Thursday, June 14, 2012 7:00 p.m.
> Over the past decade, Americans watched in bafflement and rage as one institution after another—from Wall Street to Congress, the Catholic Church to corporate America, even Major League baseball—imploded under the weight of corruption and incompetence.
> In the wake of these failures, Americans have historically low levels of trust in their institutions. The social contract between ordinary citizens and elites lies in tatters. How did we get here? With his new book, Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy, MSNBC host and Nation editor at large Christopher Hayes offers a radically novel answer.
>
> Join us for a conversation between Christopher Hayes and Nation magazine editor and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel about social distance, the new American elite, and ways we can bring about change. A welcome and introductions will be offered by David Scobey, executive dean of The New School for Public Engagement.
>
> Sponsored by The Nation and The New School.
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