Week 03 (Part one)

Based on the testing results of the third graders in "A Class Divided" I would have to say that I don't believe the ideology of meritocracy, but that's not solely based on the results. When one group, blue eyes or brown eyes, was told they were the better smarter people and the other group was made to feel inferior, the "inferior" eye colored children earned lower test scores.
Meritocracy says "progress is based on ability...rather than class." But what is ability? I believe that your "ability" to do things comes from your surroundings. Your surroundings are encouraged by theirs. And theirs by theirs and so on and so forth, eventually coming back to you and what you've keep and disregarded from all your exposures. So when your told from a young age that "you can do it" you'll most likely believe it the same amount as the person saying it. The person telling you that either truly believes it, some what does, or not at all. But they've said it because of what they've seen.
If the King of England ever said "you can do anything you set your mind to" to his kids he probably believes it a lot more than a peasant worker living in the slums of Bombay, India saying it to his own kids. If the scenario were changed and the King says it to a young boy he's meet and the worker says it to the same young boy, the young boy would believe it more from the King than the worker. The young boy, like other people can see the credibility and feel the confidence in the speaker.
Because of the never ending circle of surroundings unless you have worked hard for generations on excluding yourself and children from the circle you'll always base your ability on class. And your class on your ability, they build off each other. The two words and their meanings correlate. You cant have one without the other which makes "the circle of surroundings" fit into another even bigger circle.
I dont believe progress is based on ability rather than class because your ability is created by your class and your class is created by your abilty.