Raises all these complicated questions- Have we progressed since Jim Crow, or still White Supremacist? What does affirmative action mean in that context? What about the reality that unfortunately life is rough and fate plays a huge role? Who's more advantaged, rich black male or poor lesbian woman, is there a hierarchy? People are definitely advantaged over others through background, social connections, what can you do that helps and doesn't cause negative feedback loops? How much can/should this be engineered?

Don't know where I'm going with this. One thing I would say is there is at least some assemblance of a meritocracy going on here- far far far from being complete but probably more so than any other nation/society. I put a lot on fate actually, in a counter-Enlightenment un-American way. But even if that were the case, how much is it even possible to "level" playing fields, what about nature in the battle of the sexes, to what extent can that be "managed" while maintaining meritocracy and classical liberal values? Those are kind of the interesting areas of debate that are popping up more frequently now... There are no hard and fast answers here, it's all part of this massive cultural quake.

[Post edited by hoodeyo at 10/18/2017 4:54PM]