Scott Alexander defends true meritocracy against misguided critiques, arguing for a system based on demonstrated ability rather than educational credentials. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to various articles criticizing meritocracy, arguing that these critiques often misunderstand the concept. He defines true meritocracy as positions going to those most capable, regardless of their background or education. The post argues that the current system, which heavily relies on educational credentials, is not truly meritocratic. Scott suggests that fields should focus more on demonstrated ability rather than formal education, using programming as a positive example. He emphasizes the importance of defending the term 'meritocracy' to maintain a clear alternative to the current flawed system. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander criticizes mainstream media's recent focus on 'coddled' college students in social justice debates, arguing it overlooks more serious issues and reflects a bias towards elite academic perspectives. Longer summary

Scott Alexander expresses concern about the recent mainstream media criticism of social justice movements. He contrasts the issues raised by small bloggers, which focus on bullying and ideological rigidity, with those raised by major media outlets, which tend to focus on college students being 'coddled'. Alexander argues that this media focus is misplaced, overlooking more serious issues while amplifying relatively minor campus disputes. He suggests this bias stems from the media's overrepresentation of elite academic perspectives. Alexander fears that allowing this narrative to dominate could derail more substantive criticism of social justice movements, and sees it as indicative of a broader problem of academia's outsized influence on media and politics. Shorter summary