Belief about the rightness of Insert System Here establishes the axis on which belief operates on behavior--both positively and negatively. In other word: myth. In this case, the myth of meritocracy. Not either Truth or fakery, but potentially both, simply operating, a powerful tool for moving people and a lens for sensing how people are moved.

See https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/12/meritocracy/418074/

"American beliefs about the rightness of meritocratic ideals often leads to the belief that those ideals are what guides society. But research shows that a real commitment to meritocracy requires understanding that America hasn’t gotten there—at least not yet."

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