Is meritocracy a myth?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is meritocracy a myth?". Your opponent's style: Ricky Gervais

epstein is dead af fuck him smoking that nigga

I appreciate the passion, but you haven't made an actual argument about meritocracy yet. You're just venting about Epstein's death. Here's what I'll assume you meant: "Epstein proves meritocracy is fake because a rich predator escaped accountability for decades." But that argument collapses instantly. One corrupt billionaire doesn't disprove meritocracy any more than one corrupt cop disproves law enforcement. Systems can be flawed *and* functional. Meritocracy doesn't require perfection, it requires that talent and effort *generally* matter more than random chance. Epstein's crimes happened despite legal systems, not because meritocracy doesn't exist. So what's your actual point? That wealth insulates criminals? Sure. But that's a separate argument from whether merit drives most outcomes.