The knowledge of it affects the acting.
There are person who are more skilful, clever, qualified, or who work harder in pursuing their goals, who take better care of themselves and although everyone deserves to be able to live with dignity there’s nothing unjust in the fact that those who were able to find out end develop their talents can enjoy the fruits of their labor*.
If you don’t think so then I think that the worlds in which you and I want to live are different ones.
Sorry but I’m still not persuaded that this isn’t a massive self pitying rant, seeking confirmation bias.
*moreover, how can anything be unjust if our actions are mere scramblings of atoms as you say?
It IS a rant. I'm fighting a belief that creates oppressions.
Your vision of reality (on that specific subject) is too reduced.
You see the skills and the hardwork, but you don't really see the reasons why those skills are there or why hardwork is possible in the first place.
I don't think you watched the video or if you did, you either did not understand it or ignored it because biases.
You need to understand that skills, or efforts do not come in a vacuum. You don't simply get to make effort out of the blue to become better.Here are some example why:
Sometimes, when you make effort, it's not enough : The reasons behind that can be multiple but one of them can simply be the access to information. For example, let's say that you are trained the same number of hours by Zoro and by Mihawk (in the current state of the story). With which trainer will you be able to progress the fastest ? Well the answer is Mihawk, logically. Now, let's say that an hour of training with Mihawk is 100 000 Berry and one hour with Zoro is 100 berry. Well.. I demonstrated to you twith a simple example that the most fortunate will be able to progress faster and more efficiently tha poor people in the One Piece world. ANd like that, you have ONE of thousands of testimony that shows that Meritocracy is BS. In that context, no matter the effort you put in, your effort will simply not be enough because you didn't had the best education.
This education difference in class can be seen everywhere in society. Rich people, will - by simple logic - will have access to the best education there is. Poor people could get lucky with good teachers, but usually, if teachers are not paid well (which happens a lot in the West), they won't push their limits and their teaching, which is logical.
Education is part of the CULTURAL CAPITAL. You can see here, that already there is a difference between people who are born in upper classes in society and those who are born in the working class.
And this was the case just for the QUALITY of the education. Now, let's take about the quality of the educative environement. Do you think that someone who learn in a class of 35 and someone who learns through private school of 20 or less or even private single classes, will have more chances to succeed ? In reality, no. Because on top of the crowding, you need to add the impact of the class differences between studient, class differences that creates bullying and pushes children out of the scholary path.
Now, let's say that you are born in a quite wealthy family.. Well there is the cultural capital striking once again.. some children of the higher class will benefit from
activities on the side. Something that will be almost impossible for children coming from poorer families. Those activities will not always the children of the upper classes to create a social circle of OTHER people of the upper or middle class (and thus helping their SOCIAL CAPITAL) but they will also help them be more curious about things and new ideas, be more open to change, to culture, to sciences, to art ETC.
Meanwhile.. the children coming from the working class will be at home watching TV because they have nothing else or in the basket ball field with their friends. Mate... why do you think that in western country popular mass sport like Soccer or Basket will often appeal more to racialized people and minorities rather than white people ? Well... You guess it, Capitalist and systemic racism. Not only systemic racism push minorities into neighboors were those activities are the ONLY available activities for the youth, but capitalism and the difference in classes prevent a lot of those children to get into the activity of White people.
It happens, but it's rare and it's usually the result of a long battle. A battle that rich people (and white people) DON'T get to fight.
SO you really find that just and meritocratic ?
Just so you know, I could give you example of cultural, social and economic capital between classes for HOURS. And I'm sure that if someone were to make the list of those differences, it would fill the ENTIRE 2320 pages of this thread !!
Social inequalities are a REALITY
We do NOT start with the same chances, meaning that some people have it harder than other simply because they are born in poorer families.
Meritocracy means that you can get anything as long as you put an effort into it. But to put the effort, you need to be ABLE to put it, you need to have the right FINANCES too allow you to do that, you need to know the RIGHT person, you need to have the RIGHT teachings and the RIGHT knowledge.
Meritocracy is not meritocratic at all.
It's the belief in a fantasy.
A fantasy that creates oppression, that keeps rich people in the belief that they are more deserving than poor people, that keep poor people from questionning their own situation.
I believe in meritocracy most of my life. But it almost killed me. Thinking that I was not worthy because I was not productive or successfull couldve been the death of me.
And some people live with this fantasy, thinking that it's for the best, when in reality, it's a myth that stop us all from creating a better society.
You want to evolve ? Watch the video once again. With an open mind this time. And then, read some sociology.
