Please...
Your recommendations for a story that features a social structure that rewards individual initiative, not necessarily an inherited or alien induced advantage.
Please...
No Mary Sue or Marty Stew main characters.
I'm so tired of that trope.
Thanks
social structure that rewards individual initiative
Depends on what you mean by social structure. If it's society as a whole, then my suggestion probably won't apply. If it's social as in family and peers, then the story "Tiny Tim" by Overconfident Sarcasm might be what you're looking for. It's not society as a whole rewarding individual initiative, but, well, individual initiative by necessity gets rewarded.
I haven't finished the story yet and, to be honest, the sex that's now occurring is weakening the story. But the story is compelling enough to have me put aside my work-in-progress to read it.
I'm not sure why you would associate Meritocracy with individual initiative, as they are unrelated. Initiative can't be measured, so it has no merit. In general, meritocracies reward work and competence but would frown upon initiative.
The best book on the subject here is "The Preacher Man" by hammingbyrd7. The hellscape, factions and power struggle produced by meritocracies is described to great length. The ingrained gender bias to all meritocracies is par for the course.
Switch Blayde & Gauthier
Well, this could be a good conversation in the back corner of the local pub, sipping beers and munching unhealthy pub snacks. Since we cannot do that...
Using these definitions...
1) A system in which advancement is based on individual ability or achievement.
2)A group of leaders or officeholders selected on the basis of individual ability or achievement.
I care not whether you're an airline pilot or welder or any profession in between.
If you're good at what you do - competent - you deserve to have that competency recognized and be rewarded.
In our world society my observation is that more and more the loud mouth incompetents are the ones receiving privileges not earned by merit.
I'd love to read stories where the theme is exactly that, merit based.
I've read Preacher Man when it was first published. I'm not a fan of the tale so have not re-read it.
Yes, the tale was a hellscape but I cannot help but wonder whether it was intentionally so in the story?
The first paragraph here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy
In particular this final sentence "Today, the term is often utilized to refer to social systems, in which personal advancement and success are primarily attributed to an individual's capabilities and merits."
Thanks for your replies.
the term is often utilized to refer to social systems, in which personal advancement and success are primarily attributed to an individual's capabilities and merits
The "social system" in the story "Tiny Tim" is not society as a whole, but the social systems in a high school and in a family. The main character is ignored and abused causing him to lead a miserable life. Not because of his capabilities, but simply because of those in the social system pulling the strings.
And then he is forced to advance on his own. When his capabilities are finally recognized, he gets to advance in those two social structures (and others).
Service Society
by Lazlo Zalezac
https://storiesonline.net/s/67976/service-society
Dexter James is fed up with his job. For ten years he has put in long hours, worked for jerks, and received no rewards for a job well done. Then one day he says no to a temporary promotion. The fallout of that one little action will change the world.
Yes sir! An excellent tale. Highly recommend to those that are fed up with being manipulated by nefarious corporations, social institutions and individuals.
A shame really that this cannot be real.
Ah... Greed. Control of the mass media by the uber rich so that the masses only see the 'approved' propaganda that features fear and hate so the masses remain brainwashed and fighting among themselves instead of seeing the real enemy?
What do you see as impediments?
Ah... Greed. Control of the mass media by the uber rich so that the masses only see the 'approved' propaganda that features fear and hate so the masses remain brainwashed and fighting among themselves instead of seeing the real enemy?
Sounds like most religions to me.
Didn't you mean the religion of Trumpism?
Trumpism is a cult of personality.
Socialism on the other hand is a religion. How else would one explain the rate of failures of socialism along with the zealotry of socialism's adherents and their insistence on pushing such a devastating and anti-human ideology?
How many deaths has socialism/communism caused?
How many deaths has socialism/communism caused?
Let's be careful. Socialism and communism and not the same thing.
I condemn communism, that political philosophy has killed millions.
Despots and oligarchs have ruled and dominated in political situations labeled socialism.
In reality it was again the few ruling and dominating the many through fear and propaganda for the benefit of the few over the needs of the many.
Let's be careful. Socialism and communism and not the same thing.
They're both one and the same. Mott and Bailey.
It's always the same excuse. "Real Socialism has never been tried"! If only we have the right man to lead us into socialist utopia.
Always the same bullshit, each and every time, and it always end up in the death of a lot of people.
Socialism/Communism (same shit and if you try to separate them you're nothing but a communist or an apologist for them) don't work. Period.
Humans are not Ants, nor are they Bees. We're not mindless drones. We're not all the same.
Socialism/Communism is based on "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" idea.
While it sounds wonderful (and it's very seductive to the lazy), it's the biggest piece of destructive bullshit ever foisted on humanity.
The problem with socialism is that people don't expend more effort than they need to live at their minimum acceptable level. Maybe you'd be surprised to learn that over 80% of people would be happy to do nothing as long as their absolute minimum food and basic shelter needs are met.
Humans need status, that's their biggest driver in life. In a communist/socialist system there is no status to being more productive; you can only get status by being in the ruling class.
Why would anybody study for 13 or 14 years to become a brain surgeon if being a brain surgeon will confer them no particular status? Why would they study to be doctors? Why would they work 18 hours to build something if building that something will not benefit them in a substantial way? Would iPhones exist under socialism/communism? Luxury anything? Most of the daily little things you use in your daily life started out as luxuries for the rich and then trickled down to the common man. This advancement process doesn't exist under socialism.
The other big failing of socialism is that they treat everybody as though they are the same.
I can't find the article about it, but I've read in the past that in any business, 10% of employees produce 50% of the value, and within those 10%, 10% produce over 50%. So 1% of employees generally produce at least 25% of a company's value production. For example at a company like Apple, do you think the floor sales people at Apple stores have the same production value as the high IQ engineers building the chips that go into the iPhone? Apple has over 200,000 low skill employees, and I assure you that the group providing all the IP that drives Apple's multi-billion dollar business are less than 500 people in total. Apple has over 600,000 employees. Do you think they all have the same value?
If you apply this to a socialist country, then 10% of the population should be as productive as the other 90%. So you take almost everything from the top 10% (90% of their production) and give it to the other 90%. Does that somehow seem fair? And if you happen to be one of the productive 10% and find that other people benefit more from your productivity than you do, would you be productive for long? Would you be happy if the government had a 90% tax rate for you?
That's the problem with socialism/communism: It takes away the incentive from productive people.
Under capitalism, those 10% end up well off to say the least, and the ultra productive 1% end up wealthy.
You know the 1 percenters despised by socialists? Without them, there is no wealth that the socialists can steal to redistribute to themselves.
And don't fool yourself: Every socialism/communism pusher think of themselves as one of the ruling class in a communist system. They never think of themselves a part of the proletariat. Only the most brutal end up in ruling class, hence all the despotism and by result death of the useful idiots.
Are you delusional or are you on drugs?
First do some research what the words capitalism, socialism, and communism exactly mean before you spout of a bunch of nonsense.
I know exactly what I'm talking about.
If you didn't understand what I said above, it speaks of your own comprehension capabilities (well, or your agenda).