Privilege Rant
As a 90s Singaporean kid, we take MERITOCRACY as gospel truth. The team was frequently used interchangeably with "equality".
Growing up, our teachers would preach the message that we all deserve what we ultimately reap in life and meritocracy is the system which ensures that. We have all been given the same resources, are on the same level playing field. What reason is there that meritocracy is not fairness?
I used to think a wealthy person has to be a smart and hardworking person, and a poor person is definitely stupid, lazy.
No doubt we deserve what we reap, meritocracy does not and never will equate to equality.
Simply because in our flawed world, "Privilege" exists.
Privileged people will never think they are privileged, they think they work hard just like everyone else, or even much harder to get to where they are. Ironically, this thinking is attributed to the sheltered environment they grew up in.
You are privileged if you have a decent roof over your head. You are privileged if you never have to worry about having food on the table. You are privileged if you never have to worry about your living expenses, and your education.
Reality is poor kids perform worse in school and in life. (The Washington Post, 2015)
The truth is many of us are privileged. And this privilege is the main reason we are where we are.
I'm 80% Chinese. My forefathers 3 to 4 generations before were Mainland Chinese who left their hometowns due to the harsh conditions. When I was a kid, my grandmother showed me and my cousin a photo of my third/fourth cousins living in rural China. Unlike mine, their forefathers chose to remain in China. The environment looked desolate, and there wasn't much.
10 year old Gladys immediately turned to her cousin, the first thing that came out of her mouth was, "I'm glad our forefathers made the right choice, I don't want to be them."
And that was me as a young kid identifying privilege. See, how easy.
No personal effort of mine got me out of rural China.
Then a scary thought struck me, what if my forefathers hadn't made that one decision? I shutter to think that I could be one of them.
My take is:
"Privilege shouldn't discount our personal efforts, and neither should it be an excuse to prevent us from achieving more."
If we are all indeed on the same level playing field, meritocracy might not seem that bad but that doesn't make it any fairer.
I don't know if meritocracy should go. After all, there is no wrong in rewarding the capable people in our society.
But this same system is causing us to label the not-so-capable ones as stupid and lazy while we tout around in our privilege hats, visible to everyone but ourselves. Meritocracy tells the underprivileged and their children they deserve to be where they are. It is a vicious self-fulfilling prophecy.
Could we have done better if we were in their shoes?
The society we all deserve is one which doesn't only reward the capable, but also helps the underprivileged. It is one where the privileged sees the underprivileged from where they are standing and lends a helping hand.
"Privilege is not an idea aimed at muting opinion or understating the worth of accomplishments. It is not a stab at personal character, nor is it something for which one needs to apologize. But it is also not a myth. Privilege refers to the very real benefits that society affords certain groups over others, and it is manifested in many ways." (Time, 2014)
To the privileged, I leave this message to you from my high school teacher.
"All of you sitting in this classroom are privileged, some more than others. There are many people in the world wishing to be where you are seated now. Many of you wouldn't be here if this was based on your own merit. How many of you believe that you are exceptional, that you truly deserve this spot if based solely on personal merit? You are here because your parents can afford your education. Remember that you are privileged, but it is not your fault. Also remember that there are many others deserves to be here more than you do, but are unable to do so because they do not have the same privileges as you do. Now that you have an opportunity to be here, how would you use this education? It is not wrong to reward yourself when you are accomplished. But at the same time, what do you want to use your education and privilege for? I leave this decision to you."
PS, I don't think I expressed my ideas as eloquently as I wished. Truthfully, this is a concept that I am struggling to understand as well. It would be nice to hear from you! :)
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/28/the-real-reason-why-poor-kids-perform-worse-in-school-and-in-life/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4d8f08cda446
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/20/meritocracy-inequality-theresa-may-donald-trump
http://time.com/89482/dear-privileged-at-princeton-you-are-privileged-and-meritocracy-is-a-myth/