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**PhillipHer** · 07-10-2008, 04:05 AM

I don't think America was ever a "meritocracy", I think it was more of an "abilitocracy" (I just coined that word). People don't get what they deserve, they get what they're able to get for themselves.

If you look at any of the "great" American businessmen like Hearst, Carnegie, Rockefeller, or even Gates you're sure to notice that these people gained a lot based on ability but not necessarily on merit. I'm sure even Gates at some point of his life stole ideas or exploited people.

So, to me, the American meritocracy is the fact that the government gets the hell out of your way when you set your mind to doing something.

Americans have more faith in such a system because our government used to be small while Europe suffers from a disease of forming huge, controlling, and (yes) bad governments which give people little hope for an unobstructed path to doing something.

07-10-2008, 04:05 AM	#3
PhillipHer Join Date Jun 2008 Age 59 Posts 4,481 Senior Member	I don't think America was ever a "meritocracy", I think it was more of an "abilitocracy" (I just coined that word). People don't get what they deserve, they get what they're able to get for themselves. If you look at any of the "great" American businessmen like Hearst, Carnegie, Rockefeller, or even Gates you're sure to notice that these people gained a lot based on ability but not necessarily on merit. I'm sure even Gates at some point of his life stole ideas or exploited people. So, to me, the American meritocracy is the fact that the government gets the hell out of your way when you set your mind to doing something. Americans have more faith in such a system because our government used to be small while Europe suffers from a disease of forming huge, controlling, and (yes) bad governments which give people little hope for an unobstructed path to doing something.
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