Is The American Meritocracy Necessary An Elite Selection...

How is the American meritocracy able to flourish as an elite selection mechanism when systems that serve the elite and disadvantage the majority non-elite are despised by the great majority of citizens? The answer, a simple one, is blindness. The elite selection mechanism could successfully hide behind the face of a meritocracy. Meritocratic systems are so highly regarded because they preach a value that is universally cherished, that prosperity is achieved by working hard. In the American Dream, the ultimate meritocratic ideal, success is not determined by ones origins but by how hard one works. This dream declares that all people, penniless or wealthy, have the opportunity to achieve upward mobility as long as they put their head down and work hard. The American Dream was created to serve all people. The American meritocracy was not. When considering who the American meritocracy serves, its is imperative to reflect on how it was created. The modern meritocracy began forming in the early twentieth century with the rise of standardized testing. Headed by the Henry Chauncey and James Bryant Conant, a new method of determining social position was growing in the SAT. The SAT would work to dismantle the previous aristocratic structure of inheriting positions at elite institutions and open up opportunities for people to be placed based on their merit, their scholastic aptitude. Chauncey and Conant believed that improving the elite would improve society as a whole because the newShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesFunction of Emotions 102 †¢ Sources of Emotions and Moods 103 Emotional Labor 108 Affective Events Theory 110 Emotional Intelligence 112 The Case for EI 113 †¢ The Case Against EI 114 †¢ Emotion Regulation 115 OB Applications of Emotions and Moods 115 Selection 116 †¢ Decision Making 116 †¢ Creativity 116 †¢ Motivation 117 †¢ Leadership 117 †¢ Negotiation 117 †¢ Customer Service 118 †¢ Job Attitudes 119 †¢ Deviant Workplace Behaviors 119 †¢ Safety and Injury at Work 119 †¢ How Managers Can Influence Moods 120 SummaryRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesa core module. Typically the audience would be students in Business Schools but could also be students in Departments of Sociology, Schools of Education and so on. The learning needs of these students is for a book that reflects the best of Anglo-American, European and other thinking on organization theory in a manner that shows that different sorts of theory are relevant and can be made interesting for an understanding of the organizational world. . Preface xv Distinctive features Read MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagescompetitive 6 Feigenbaum−Feigenbaum: The Power of Management Capitol 1. New Management for Business Growth in a Demanding Economy Text  © The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2004 6 THE POWER OF MANAGEMENT CAPITAL leadership and as a necessary condition for the profitability and effectiveness of technology. Today another economic force—the quality of productivity—is being recognized as essential for shoring up the economy, especially when business slows down. From SUVs and computers to