Beyoncé, the Grammys, and the Myth of Meritocracy
Since the founding of the United States, the idea of meritocracy—the belief that anyone who works hard can achieve success, upward mobility, and the so-called American Dream—has been not just a myth, not just a sham, but one of the greatest lies and acts of gaslighting ever told. This illusion has been upheld by centuries of systemic propaganda espoused by every institution and facet of American society. Its most recent iteration comes via the anti-DEI crusade that has become the defining pillar of Trump’s second presidential term—launched just ten days ago at the time of this writing—should surprise no one. In this essay, I’ll use the 67th Annual Grammy Awards and Beyoncé’s nomination for Album of the Year (AOTY) for her seminal Cowboy Carter album as a lens to examine how chasing the ideal of Black excellence, seeking white validation, and measuring Black genius or success against a white supremacist system built by and for able-bodied white men is not only flawed but fundamentally futile.
