Meritocracy is a fairly popular concept among Brazilians. Six out of ten people in the country believe that workers should receive recognition only for their hard work and competence — and not based on their gender, ethnicity, or income.
In recent years, the concept of meritocracy has become a frequent talking point in right-wing politics when criticizing policies from the left, such as racial quotas in public universities. President Jair Bolsonaro talked about meritocracy in his inauguration speech, and constantly bashes the left for supposedly disfavoring hard-working citizens to benefit minorities.
A cornerstone of neo-Pentecostal Evangelical churches (which have become…