Meritocracy, like so many other important principles, is under assault today. Actually, it has been for some time.

The reason is obvious. If we support and maintain a system of meritocracy, there will be winners and losers. 

No one likes to lose, and especially not if it was because their performance was not as good as that of others.

Thus, it is the poor losers whose hue and cry is to deconstruct this system and in its place build one which will favor certain select groups.

The rationale for doing so is almost always the same.

Members of these groups were discriminated against in the past and held back. Therefore they need special privileges to compensate for the resulting inequality of ability. 

One of the things which gives the lie to this whole theory is the fact that many members of these groups have managed to be quite successful without such special privileges.

It is perhaps unsurprising that almost all of these people are Conservatives or libertarians, and are hated by their loser brethren who are almost all progressives (sic).