The Fallacy of Meritocracy: The System Built Was Never Fair

Today, meritocracy gets tossed around like a badge of honor. Companies brag about it. Leaders weaponized it. Policies defend it. It sounds noble: work hard, stay focused, and you'll get what you deserve. But what if the system we chased was designed unfairly from the start?

The uncomfortable truth is this: meritocracy is not equitable. It's a myth — a carefully constructed illusion that keeps existing power structures intact.

And ironically, the very term meritocracy was invented to warn us about this exact trap.

The Origin Story They Forgot to Tell You

In the late 1950s, British sociologist Michael Young published The Rise of Meritocracy — a satirical work. Yes, satirical. Young didn’t coin meritocracy as an ideal. He presented it as a dystopian warning: a world where people are ranked by "merit," but where the system is rigged.

Young predicted that under a so-called meritocracy, inequality would deepen. Those who succeeded would believe they inherently deserved more, while those who struggled would internalize blame. We’re not living the dream he warned against. We’re living the nightmare he forecasted.

Because meritocracy assumes a level playing field that has never existed.

Where Meritocracy Falls Apart: Real-World Evidence

Take standardized tests. They're sold as objective measures of aptitude. But they assume every student had the same teachers, the same textbooks, the same stable home, the same nutrition, the same internet access. My high school didn’t even have Bunsen burners. What kind of chemistry experiments were we supposed to do?

When the starting lines are different, measuring "merit" at the finish line is a lie.

In corporate America, performance evaluations aren't purely objective either. Leadership potential gets filtered through subjective perceptions: "fit," "style," "leadership presence." One manager’s "high performer" is another’s "not quite ready." Without real checks, favoritism, racism, classism, and sexism seep into every "merit-based" decision.

Even access to truth itself is unequal. Internet gaps. Biased AI algorithms. Censored history. Some people are running with maps drawn by reality; others are handed fables and expected to navigate just as well.

How do you measure merit when the tools, teachers, and truths aren't equally available?

The Convenient Weaponization of Meritocracy

Today, "meritocracy" isn’t just misunderstood — it's weaponized.

We see it used to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. To dismiss systemic inequality. To suggest that if someone isn’t winning, it’s solely their fault. Meritocracy is used as a barrier that further strengthens the current disparities we have.

The narrative shifts blame onto individuals, ignoring the structures that elevate some while systematically excluding others. The narrative reframes systemic failure as personal inadequacy, erasing the reality of unequal opportunity distribution.

The same system that hands out advantage now blames those locked out for "not trying hard enough."

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here’s what’s hardest to admit: meritocracy was designed to be broken. If you control the definition of "merit," you control access. You move the finish line while pretending the race is fair. And you don't win by playing harder in a rigged game. You win by refusing to pretend it was ever fair. 

If you're ready to sit with that truth, ask yourself:

• Where have you been asked to "prove" your worth in a system that was never built for you?

• How many times have you been told hard work is enough—only to see barriers that effort alone can't break?

• Whose version of merit are you still chasing—and what would happen if you stopped?

Because real freedom doesn’t come from playing the game better. It comes from choosing a different game. 

The Real Cost of the Myth

If true merit were real, they wouldn't force brilliance to over-perform just to be seen. Potential wouldn’t have to scream to be heard. And survival wouldn’t have to wear the mask of success.

The truth is: you don’t owe anyone proof of your worth. You don’t have to run faster in a race that was rigged before you started. You have the power to define your own success — on your terms, in your time.

If you're ready to stop chasing the tape they set, and start walking in your own truth, you're exactly where you need to be. Stay tuned. We’re just getting started.

Still wrestling with what success really means? Make sure you read my last blog: The Lie Meritocracy Told Me. It's the story behind the story — where survival once looked like success, and choosing truth changed everything.

Meritocracy was never fair. It was a fantasy designed to keep the rest of us running in circles while someone else held the tape.

If you’re ready to stop chasing the tape, and start owning your truth, you’re exactly where you need to be, schedule a Complimentary Growtation. Together, we’ll explore what you’ve been carrying—and what you’re ready to release.