Written by Frank Li
Covid-19 has revealed a deadly truth about the U.S.: it is failing, badly – 160,000 deaths so far, counting (Forecast: 300,000 U.S. Covid-19 Deaths By December 1)!
In contrast, China brought Covid-19 under control quickly (4,677 deaths), and its economy has been steadily recovering over the past few months (China’s economy has rebounded after a steep slump – but challenges lie ahead).
Why such a huge difference between the two countries?
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It’s the government, stupid!
Simply put, the Chinese government is far more effective, because it’s far more competent, thanks, largely, to its base of meritocracy.
1. What is “meritocracy”?
Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia – Meritocracy.
Meritocracy (merit, from Latin mereō, and -cracy, from Ancient Greek κράτος kratos ‘strength, power’) is a political system in which economic goods and/or political power are vested in individual people on the basis of talent, effort, and achievement, rather than wealth or social class.[1] Advancement in such a system is based on performance, as measured through examination or demonstrated achievement. Although the concept of meritocracy has existed for centuries, the term itself was coined in 1958 by the sociologist Michael Dunlop Young in his satirical essay The Rise of the Meritocracy.[2]
2. Meritocracy in China
The base of China’s meritocracy is the National Higher Education Entrance Examination – Wikipedia. Below is an excerpt.
The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as Gaokao (高考; gāokǎo; ‘High[er Education] Exam’), is an academic examination held annually in the People’s Republic of China.[note 1] This standardized test is a prerequisite for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level. It is usually taken by students in their last year of senior high school, though there has been no age restriction since 2001.
In short, it’s a test held once a year. Everybody takes it on the same day(s). Every university has a requirement for a minimal score, without which you cannot be considered for admission.
For its history and its relationship with governance, read: Governance in China: Past, Present, and Future.
3. Meritocracy in America
The American equivalence to China’s National Higher Education Entrance Examination is SAT (or ACT). However, SAT not only is much easier, but also can be taken multiple times throughout a year.
More problematically, read: The Shady but Legal Ways the Rich and Powerful Help Their Kids Into College, Experts Say (Look at Jared Kushner and JFK Jr.). Below is an excerpt.
There were others, including John F. Kennedy Jr., who according to Golden was wooed by Brown, which was willing to overlook his “mixed academic record in private school” in exchange for the halo effect of his admission. Yet JFK Jr.’s “scholastic deficiencies” lingered, Golden writes: He failed the New York bar exam twice.
Kushner’s millionaire father, Charles, “had pledged $2.5 million to Harvard University in 1998, not long before his son Jared was admitted,” Golden wrote in ProPublica in 2016.
See, I told you so: America was founded by/of/for the rich, and remains so today! For more, read: What is the American Revolution, Anyway?
By the way, this is totally unacceptable in China, as the PRC (People’s Republic of China) was founded by/of/for the poor, with basic fairness to all! For more, read: The People’s Republic of China at Age 70.
Yet, despite all these low standards, even the requirement for SAT has been relaxed recently. Two examples:
- 2020: Harvard Will Not Require SAT, ACT Scores for Applicants This Year.
- 2018: Harvard Applicants No Longer Required to Submit SAT, ACT Writing Scores.
As a result, college admission will become even more ad hoc!
Worst of all, there is little connection between this very limited (and only) meritocracy and the government! For more, read: Governance in America.
4. Discussion
Governance is hard.
The image below is worth more than 1,000 words. …
As you can see, China’s way of governance is totally different from America’s, which is represented by two big (but bankrupting) “slogans”:
- “All men are created equal”. For more, read: What Is The Declaration of Independence, Anyway?
- “We the People”. For more, read: What Is the Original U.S. Constitution, Anyway?
The image below highlights the foundations for America and China, respectively.
The one on the right is far better, time-tested!
Any doubt?
Aside from Covid-19, look at the stupidity of the current American government: America Unholy Crusade Against China!
America, reform our failing political system, as I have suggested (American Democracy – Why is it failing & how to fix it?), or become a fiddle, second to China!
7. Closing
Meritocracy is the base for the Chinese society, as well as the government. On top of that, a key reason China’s government is far more competent than America’s is this: “Selection vs. Election”, which is the topic of my next article.
Now, please sit back and enjoy the short video below.
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