I heard recently that the word “meritocracy” was originally coined to mean the opposite of how you’re using it. As a sort of ironic codeword where there shouldn’t have to be a word because that’s how it is supposed to work. As in - when the CEO’s son gets a VP job right out of high school, chalk it up to “meritocracy”.

Not disagreeing with your sentiment, I just thought that was interesting. Enjoy your day!