Merit. A word most Americans attach to the “American Dream.” The rule has always seemed to be that if someone works very hard, they can achieve the same things anyone else can. That you will be rewarded for your individual work. We’ve all heard the inspirational stories of someone less fortunate — an immigrant that came here with nothing, a kid born into poverty — who worked hard and achieved monumental success. Those people are truly people we should look up to. In this era of American history, however, I would argue this supposed ‘meritocracy’ doesn’t exist.
For Americans to believe everyone has a path to success if they only worked for it is completely idiotic. Again, some people actually do achieve the “American Dream.” In today’s world, that dream is becoming more and more difficult to believe in. According to thenation.com, 20 people now own as much wealth as half of all Americans. The 400 richest American families are wealthier than the collective bottom 61 percent of the population. On top of this, the 100 richest families own more assets than the *entire* African-American community. Tell me how, if merit were the grounds for how America operated, these numbers are possible?
In America, we have millions of incredibly hard workers. Somehow their work isn’t, statistically, “enough.” In order to understand how some people are left behind, especially with African-Americans, we need to remember our history. America has a history of slavery. It wasn’t that long ago segregation was in full effect. In 1964, the Supreme Court outlawed segregation in Brown v. Board of Education. Redlining (FHA Mortgage Insurance Requirements that denied loans or insurance to people from specific areas or populations) put blacks in a place where they were systematically oppressed. If they came from certain areas, the were denied the chance to buy houses and cars, and were often declined loan requests. This was in the 60s; not a long time ago. How in the world can anyone say people of color have the same opportunities today, when their ancestors, some of whom are still alive today, weren’t allowed to own assets? Redlining created and continues to create geography problems. In order to create an actual ‘meritocracy’ ideology, everyone would need to start at the same level. Biases would have to suddenly cease. Because of our history, this is impossible. Some immigrants and poor communities suffer the same fate to this day. We, as Americans, do not all start at the same level of equality.
Looking at statistics alone, Americans are not all equal. It’s difficult to imagine a time we will ever have the opportunity to start our lives totally equal. A perfect example is when President Trump stated, “My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars, and now I own a billion-dollar enterprise.” Anyone with those preliminary assets would have the extreme upper-hand against other, less wealthy Americans. What we need to do is create equity. Everyone must have the same opportunities. Some will choose to go to college, others will go to mechanical or construction jobs, some will choose entry-level positions. The point is that not everyone would make the same choices, but that the ‘meritocracy ideology’ would still exist. This would put every American in a spot where if they worked hard they could be successful, even wealthy. The United States’ ridiculous wage gap wouldn’t be as large. The ones who worked the hardest would be rewarded. The way things are right now, it is impossible for merit to exist.