The Dark Side of Meritocracy: Why 'Hustling' is a Trap

Life's a Meritocracy, right?
We like to think meritocracy rewards the people who are most talented, driven and capable.

But what happens when the very things you're told will help you get ahead can actually work against you?

In this second part of the meritocracy series, I look at the "hustle penalty" and the hidden costs of how you present yourself when you're trying to move up.

Sometimes the harder you try to look like you belong, the more obvious it becomes that you don't.

I’m Barry, a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.

Luisa is currently developing a show about Mary Magdalene and how different the world would look if the Bible was translated by women?
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Chapters
00:00 - 00:14 Introduction
00:14 - 03:52 The Hustle Penalty
03:52 - 05:18 The "Optimal" Strategy
05:18 - 12:07 Class Advantage Commitment Penalty
12:07 - 17:48 My Personal Experience with Hustle Penalty
17:48 - 23:18 Does Code Shifting Work?
23:18 - 27:58 The Class Ceiling
27:58 - 33:45 Is "Being Great" Ever Recognised?
33:45 - 36:21 Go Against The Money

This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.

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Sources & Further Reading

Rudman, L. A. (1998)
Self-Promotion as a Risk Factor for Women: The Costs and Benefits of Counterstereotypical Impression Management.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(3), 629–645.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.3.629

Bourdieu, P. (1979/1984)
Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste.
Harvard University Press.

Rivera, L. A. (2015)
Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs.
Princeton University Press. Rivera's research examines how elite employers' definitions of "merit" can favour candidates from privileged backgrounds.

Rivera, L. A. & Tilcsik, A. (2016)
"Class Advantage, Commitment Penalty: The Gendered Effect of Social Class Signals in an Elite Labor Market."
Giles, H. (1970)
"Evaluative Reactions to Accents."
Kang, S. K., DeCelles, K. A., Tilcsik, A. & Jun, S. (2016)
"Whitened Résumés: Race and Self-Presentation in the Labor Market."
Friedman, S. & Laurison, D. (2019)
The Class Ceiling: Why It Pays to Be Privileged.
Salganik, M. J., Dodds, P. S. & Watts, D. J. (2006)
"Experimental Study of Inequality and Unpredictability in an Artificial Cultural Market."
Science, 311(5762), 854–856.
Salganik, M. J. & Watts, D. J. (2008)
"Leading the Herd Astray: An Experimental Study of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies in an Artificial Cultural Market."

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