[rapind]

I agree in principal, but there are a couple big problems with this argument.

1) This only works if everyone starts at the same line. Obviously not the case while there's a huge variance in inheritance, education, influence, opportunity. If a 100m race has some people starting on the 50m line while others are on the 0m line, it's not a race based solely on merit. Some of the starters on the 50m will still lose to the 0m starters, but statistically they have a much better chance.

2) We don't live in a free market society. "Free market" is just an ideal (like communism or utopia is an ideal) that doesn't truly exist outside of a vacuum. Most societies (the US included) are a combination of free market, socialism, capitalism, cronyism, etc.

I'm not arguing for a different system than capitalism here, but if you're going to argue for our existing system, then you shouldn't conflate it with free market or meritocracy which simply doesn't exist outside of a lab.

Saying free market is a great system, is practically the same as saying unicorns are cool. For sure they are, but how is that relevant?