Examples Of Meritocracy

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Meritocracy is the notion that one succeeds only on the basis of his/her own abilities. (Desmond, 2010) There are three assumptions that argue that affirmative action threatens meritocracy. The first assumption is people get ahead in life solely by virtue of their own talents, skills, and work ethic. This is not true because there are racial inequalities in wealth. For example, “The average black family that earns $15,000 year in income has $0 net worth, or is in debt actually compared to the average white family that earns $15,000 a year, and they have a good $10,000 to $15,000 in equity.” (Conley, 2003)
The second assumption is race and gender preferences are the only kinds of preference in the world. Preferences based on race and gender

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Meritocracy

Meritocracy refers to the idea that the best people are in the best places. A meritocratic society is thus a place where the distribution of wealth and power exclusively depends on people's ability and intelligence. For this purpose of distinguishing the best from the rest, education in a meritocratic society is reduced to a mechanical cycle of giving the standardized test, finding the students with greatest academic achievements, and only fostering learning of these best students. Ideally meritocracy…

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Meritocracy In Canada

be successful. This would be true if Canada were a meritocracy. Meritocracy is defined as when advancement in society is based on individual ability or achievement rather than ones class or status. (Naiman, 2012, p. 218) However, after investigating social inequality and how a person’s positioning in the social categories of class, race and gender impact their opportunities, I feel compelled to make the argument that Canada is not a meritocracy…

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Using Material from Item a and Elsewhere, Assess the Contribution of Functionalism to Understanding of the Role of Educationn Essay examples

selfish desires. The educations system helps to create social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture, values and beliefs onto the next generation. Also, school acts as a ‘society in miniature’, preparing us for life in the wider society. For example, both in school and at work we have to cooperate with people who are neither family nor friends. Modern industrial economies have a complex division of labour, where the production of a single item usually involves the cooperation of specialist…

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Reflection Precis 4: The Land Of Opportunity And Other Myths

However, these “steps” depend on the involvement of people. For example, the documentary on Martin Luther King discloses the agony of African Americans while trying to resolve the problem of discrimination and racism. Although many years have passed since this outcome, we continue to see discrimination, racism, and disadvantages…

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Summary Of Class In America By Gregory Mantsios

analysis of the impact of social class on individual opportunities and success in American society. Mantsios raises the acute question of a person’s social success, depending on class, in modern America. He argues that despite the American myth of meritocracy,…

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Response To Alain De Botton's Speech

Botton’s speech is that a person’s definition of success is their own definition and no one else’s. De Botton uses points such as snobbery, meritocracy, and the fact that expectations are high for people (de Botton, 2009). One of the points made was snobbery, which is when a person judges someone else based on a small aspect of one’s life. Another point made was meritocracy, a meritocratic society is one in which people with no limitations will be at the top of social status and success. One of the last…

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Essay about sociology note

Chapter 8 Social Stratification: a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. a. Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences. Example: Is not that rich people like BMW more than poor people. b. Social stratification carries over from generation to generation. Most people stay in the same social position as their parents. c. Social stratification is universal but variable. Distance between individuals may very but…

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Gladstone Essay examples

so you could no longer buy positions in the army. This very much supported Gladstone’s ideology of “By merit and effort not birth” and thus this creates competition and meritocracy among the soldiers. This act was liberating as it made the army more professional overall and also all the soldiers were equal. The idea of meritocracy was taking place as the money could no longer buy positions. Also overall the army was now an effective Imperial force. There was better treatment of the soldiers. Opposition…

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Hallway Hangers Case Study

are given. The values, beliefs and norms of the Hangers and the Brothers differ greatly that you could almost call them opposites. Values represent shared ideas about what is good, desirable, worthy as opposed to bad, undesirable, worthless. For example, honesty, loyalty and physical toughness are some that are considered as values. The Hangers value drugs, alcohol and physical toughness to gain and maintain respect from others. The hangers intrinsic value (similarities and common interest that attract…

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Canadian Spirit Analysis

of small communities. While protests and choosing careers other than those considered white collar can be done individually, education as a private responsibility does not initiate much change. For example, individuals cannot change McDonaldization because Canadian society has evolved into a meritocracy (Samuel, 2024a). Additionally, employers look for credentials such as relevant degrees or involvement within the related career field in applicants (Samuel,…

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