No, we should get rid of anyone saying that we currently live under 'equality', because we don't.
> entirely scrapping a noble idea because it isn't yet 100% realized
It's not that it's 'not yet realized,' it's that it's not actually possible.
The very first question that comes into play is "who defines and measures merit?" Consider another failed opportunity at 'meritocracy': eugenics. It was once believed that we could determine some kind of 'genetic quality' and, well, have a meritocracy in human breeding, in a way. Turns out that whole idea is totally broken. At one point in time, people thought IQ was a reasonable way to measure merit. Turns out that it's not.
"Women (and others) do not feel unsafe in their work environment" is reasonably quantifiable, and someday, achievable. 'Merit' is not.
Agreed, but... isn't the 'trying' that counts in terms of the latter? I just don't see the problem in holding up "meritocracy" as something to strive for. I don't think any of us lives in a perfect democracy either, but we are still proud of trying, and think that it's the best way to run things, even if we're painfully aware of the shortcomings.
Please read the article I linked in my first comment, which directly explains this.
Or this comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7406566
I think it's also distracting from the issue at hand, which I think is very real and important.
Just curious, if you were in charge--how would you choose to "dispose" of these undesirables?
His intention is clearly that people should get rid of the claim that we live in an equal society. Not to get rid of people.