I disagree that it's a fact that the kid from a shitty home is going to do worse on a test no matter what, since plenty of people have led successful lives and gotten good educations coming from a shitty homes. Environment isn't deterministic like that. The individual has a say in the matter of how well they will do on the test.
Well to use an analogy it's possible for a competitor starting 200m from the finish line to beat one starting 50m from the finish line. Is it a fair race? Most people would think no.
It's not about determinism at all, and pointing to people born in shitty situations who managed through luck and hard-work to overcome those difficulties does not mean everything is all-right, that is just silly.
People born in shitty situations is not all-right but it doesn't defy merit. Merit means that your input (effort, energy, dedication, discipline) has a large if not decisive effect on your outcome. Regardless of other people achieving even more.
In fact, especially for disadvantaged people merit is the dream maker.
>Merit means that your input (effort, energy, dedication, discipline) has a large if not decisive effect on your outcome.
But it doesn't, and this can be easily measured. Are you saying this is how you wished things were? Then I agree with you, that's what we should strive for. Are you saying this is how things are? That's just false (hilariously so).
