I think we forget that sometimes the oppressed desire to triumph not because their cause is just but because they want to become the oppressors. Regarding merit, it's all too often in the eye of the beholder as you see toadies to bosses ascend over those who actually get the job done. However, reality eventually intrudes and makes it obvious when someone has not gained their position due to merit.
I think you're falsely conflating merit with other behaviors. Just because merit is better doesn't mean that everyone prioritizes it. In fact, that's the whole point of the piece - to argue that we *should* prioritize merit over toadying or theft of credit.
As for the oppressed-oppressor dynamic, the core problem is that it replaces the individual with labels and a dualistic oversimplification. A member of an "oppressed" group might indeed be driven by the desire to oppress rather that to simply be on equal footing - assuming we play into the o-o game. This is why the real remedy is "content of character," to judge each person individually from a "blind" baseline.
In many positions, merit is not necessarily an easy thing to measure. For example, a common metric for programmers was the number of lines of code written. That is, until people realized that someone who could accomplish the same task with far less lines of code resulting in more efficient programs was being penalized. And, it's easy for others to conflate merit with likeability. Unfortunately, we know that like prefers like psychologically which creates situations where people can realistically believe that their prospects are dimmed due to characteristics which have nothing to do with merit thus creating the oppressor/oppressed dynamic. I agree with you regarding character but we may be in the minority given what we know of the two major candidates for the presidency.
Agreed but don't you get the feeling sometimes (with the exception of an oddball like me) that you're just preaching to the choir in your writings? It's sad how so many Americans live in bubbles where they never have to deal with anything that could challenge their opinions.
Yes, I indeed have a sympathetic audience if I only look at the subscriber base. But, I share my posts publicly on social media, and hopefully readers share posts from time to time as well, and that gives me the chance of planting a seed that might get someone to shift.
There's also my mission to move even the like-minded closer to libertarianism - whether they be Republican or Democrat-leaning. I don't care which party moves things in the direction of liberty.
Amen, Peter! We rob people of respect and dignity when we ignore the value of merit. There is no substitute for hard work and perseverance.
I think we forget that sometimes the oppressed desire to triumph not because their cause is just but because they want to become the oppressors. Regarding merit, it's all too often in the eye of the beholder as you see toadies to bosses ascend over those who actually get the job done. However, reality eventually intrudes and makes it obvious when someone has not gained their position due to merit.
I think you're falsely conflating merit with other behaviors. Just because merit is better doesn't mean that everyone prioritizes it. In fact, that's the whole point of the piece - to argue that we *should* prioritize merit over toadying or theft of credit.
As for the oppressed-oppressor dynamic, the core problem is that it replaces the individual with labels and a dualistic oversimplification. A member of an "oppressed" group might indeed be driven by the desire to oppress rather that to simply be on equal footing - assuming we play into the o-o game. This is why the real remedy is "content of character," to judge each person individually from a "blind" baseline.
In many positions, merit is not necessarily an easy thing to measure. For example, a common metric for programmers was the number of lines of code written. That is, until people realized that someone who could accomplish the same task with far less lines of code resulting in more efficient programs was being penalized. And, it's easy for others to conflate merit with likeability. Unfortunately, we know that like prefers like psychologically which creates situations where people can realistically believe that their prospects are dimmed due to characteristics which have nothing to do with merit thus creating the oppressor/oppressed dynamic. I agree with you regarding character but we may be in the minority given what we know of the two major candidates for the presidency.
Doesn't mean we shouldn't spread the message. That's kinda the point of blogging, isn't it?
Agreed but don't you get the feeling sometimes (with the exception of an oddball like me) that you're just preaching to the choir in your writings? It's sad how so many Americans live in bubbles where they never have to deal with anything that could challenge their opinions.
Yes, I indeed have a sympathetic audience if I only look at the subscriber base. But, I share my posts publicly on social media, and hopefully readers share posts from time to time as well, and that gives me the chance of planting a seed that might get someone to shift.
There's also my mission to move even the like-minded closer to libertarianism - whether they be Republican or Democrat-leaning. I don't care which party moves things in the direction of liberty.