People in power legitimize their position with the argument that meritocracy dictates a person’s success. Meritocracy is a concept that consists of a few assumptions. Mainly, individual success is governed by and proportionate to a person’s abilities. Secondly, those who hold powerful positions are individuals who are the most intelligent and talented of the bunch. Lastly, it supposes that anyone can attain an elite status if they possess superior abilities and talents.
Due to these assumptions, meritocracy advances the idea that
certain people are superior, which in turn legitimizes the conduct and rules of
the superior over the perceived “inferior.” This dichotomization of
categorizing also occurs in our education system. Schools habitually rank
students based on a specified standard; Superior are those who meet or exceed
the standard created by educational systems, whereas the “inferior” are those
who have deficiencies due to the nature of their upbringing. This group does
not meet the standard created by the privileged and are, therefore,
unintelligent or inadequate. The voices of the inferior are silenced in favour
of others who meet or exceed the standard. This in turn creates a power dynamic
that allows the elite population to oppress majority so that they merely just
become subjects of power.
The superior then end up attending the nation’s best
universities. However, contrary to the claims of meritocracy, students who
attend these institutions may not necessarily be more intelligent or talented.
Rather, they reaped their socio-economic benefits that come with possessing
privilege.
Educational systems, particularly those deemed to be elite
schools, play a pivotal role in reproducing new members of the minority ruling
class and legitimizing their power over the majority. Upper-class children
attend exclusive private schools rather than public schools, and are coddled
throughout their lives with expensive prep and individually focused programs
such as tutoring. They are groomed to be society’s leaders and are constantly
reminded of their destiny to be the greatest people in society. Consequently,
they are taught to view the lower class as subjects who follow and rely on
them.
On the other hand, high-achieving, low-income non-privileged
individuals do not have the luxury to apply to select universities due to
geographic and social barriers. They are heavily hindered by the mere virtue of
their social status. They may feel a sense that they do not belong in those schools
because none of their friends went to those schools, or they have a financial
or family burden on their shoulders that prevents them from attending those
elite schools.
Moreover, admissions into renowned universities tend to
favour the privileged. Preference is given to those who can afford to pay full
tuition, students who receive high scores on standardized tests (for which
expensive tutoring and heavy prep is essential), or those who have parents who
graduated from an elite institution. This promotes the needs of the elite, and
discredits the students who had to overcome obvious social and economic
disadvantages in order to achieve academic prowess.
Evidently, privilege works in favour of those who were born with
it, and against those who were not. Our schools today play a big role in
positing this claim. As stated by Anthony Carnevale, the director of Georgetown
University Centre on Education and the Workforce, “The education system is an
increasingly powerful mechanism for the intergenerational reproduction of
privilege.”
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