Meritocracy

In Review Wooldridge’s book is a timely reminder that, for all its flaws, meritocracy may be better than the alternatives“Meritocracy has come in for some hard knocks of late,” said Darrin M. McMahon in the Literary Review. Radicals on the left and populists on the right both deride it as…

SynopsisThese days, business families are including their daughters in the family businesses. Yet on careful observation, one notices that the son is given responsibility for “outside” jobs such as production and sales, the jobs that take you to the factory and the market. These days, business families are including their…

When I first posted on social media about my new book, Father Figure: How to Be a Feminist Dad, some of my friends were confused. One commented, “I don’t understand; do you hate men?” Another said, “I feel bad for your sons.” It turns out that many people—even some in…

The American Medical Association, the largest organization representing physicians and medical students across the nation, says it will replace meritocracy with “racial justice.”  In simpler terms, the American Medical Association is now embracing critical race theory.  On Tuesday, the association released an 86-page three-year roadmap outlining how the group will…

After nearly 61 years of independence, Nigeria continues to grope in the dark with no ray of hope that things will get better. Indeed, things are getting worse by the day. Out of this hopelessness grew the desire and determination for oppressed and marginalized Yoruba and Igbo to fight for…

Sports are often sold as the great equalizer. Yet time and again, the sports meritocracy is proven to be a myth. Why it matters: In theory, sports are an escape. In reality, they are a mirror — often perpetuating the most unjust aspects of society. "We tend to think of…

It’s a confusing time. Society appears to be fighting racism for all its worth. But how and where do you fight, if virtually everything’s been declared racist? And if institutions are the ones announcing the omnipresence of institutional racism, aren’t they fingering themselves? But if they believe racism is racist,…

What comes after meritocracy? February 23, 2021 Last spring, Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina explained why, at a pivotal moment in the Democratic primaries, he endorsed Joe Biden for president: “Our problem, it seems to me, is too many candidates spend time trying to let people know how smart…

Have you ever heard of The Nightingales? No? Well, that situation needs swiftly rectifying, reckons Stewart Lee, the splendid stand-up, sometime Sunday-paper album reviewer and recent number- one-hitmaker (with Asian Dub Foundation). Now he’s also a rock-documentarian, alongside old colleague Michael Cumming, best known for directing bravura comedies like Brass…

The choice ahead for the 50 Senate Republicans is stark. In the words of that old labor song, “Which side are you on?” In their masterful and, at times, heartbreaking presentation, the House impeachment managers asked Senate Republicans a simple question: Will you side with Mike Pence, the Capitol Police,…