The Myth of the American Meritocracy
Lately, I have been reflecting on my place in America’s socioeconomic landscape. Specifically, I am pondering why it is that a college-educated tutor like me can earn more money than the average American worker while laboring fewer hours.
The undercurrent of human nature desires to believe that one’s success comes from one’s talent, perseverance, intelligence, and overall “merit”. We consistently have a bias to overestimate the value of our own contributions. For example, if you ask the members of a research team to each estimate what percentage of the group work they did, the sum of everyone’s answers is around 140%.
As individuals, it is healthy (and indeed psychologically vital) to be proud of the work we do, the things we build, and the way we conduct ourselves in daily interactions. In my life, I am indeed proud of my achievements in the field of education at a young age. But I also modestly reckon with the fact that I was very fortunate to attend elite schools debt-free and to have connections to help build a clientele for my small business.
