In a world that celebrates credentials, it’s easy to conflate access with merit. There are people who, against all odds, claw their way to opportunities that were never designed with them in mind. They navigate a maze of systemic barriers, lack of resources, and generational struggles just to reach institutions of learning that others take for granted. For them, merit is not about shiny certificates but about survival, resilience, and the audacity to dream beyond their immediate reality.
On the other hand, there are those for whom life is a series of curated options. They deliberate over which prestigious university to attend, not whether they can afford tuition. They plan holidays to exotic destinations without a second thought about how others are simply trying to put food on the table. These lives, though they might intersect momentarily in a classroom or workplace, are worlds apart.
Public and private universities alike are microcosms of this divide. While they may seem like leveling grounds, they often replicate societal hierarchies. The student who skips meals to save on books rarely sits at the same table—socially or metaphorically—as the one who debates wine pairings at fancy dinners. The economic and social chasm remains unbridged, a testament to how "meritocracy" often functions as a myth that masks privilege.
When those who benefit from systemic advantage flaunt their credentials, it reeks of entitlement. It’s easy to speak of hard work when you’ve never questioned where your next meal will come from or when your basic survival wasn’t contingent on beating impossible odds. Credentialism, in this context, becomes not a marker of achievement but a performance of superiority, devoid of humility and understanding of structural inequalities.
Reclaiming the Meaning of Merit
Merit should not be reduced to the accolades of those who had the ladder already laid out for them. It should reflect the determination of those who had to build their ladder, rung by rung, while others watched from above. Recognizing this requires dismantling the frameworks that perpetuate the illusion of equal opportunity. It requires acknowledging that for many, success isn’t just about effort but about navigating a world where the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against them.
To bridge the divide, society must do more than pay lip service to equality. Institutions need to actively dismantle the barriers that uphold privilege, whether through accessible education, redistributive policies, or spaces that genuinely amplify marginalized voices. More importantly, individuals with privilege must recognize that their achievements are often interwoven with advantages they did not earn.
Final Reflection
If you’ve never lived a life where hunger gnawed at your dreams or where your aspirations were dismissed as unrealistic fantasies, you don’t get to lecture on merit. True understanding begins when we stop yapping about our credentials and start asking: What systems allowed me to thrive, and who have they excluded? The answer to that question is the first step in dismantling the arrogance of privilege and creating a world where merit is measured by the strength of character, not the gleam of credentials.