[hn_throwaway_99]

My favorite example of this is Pete Hegseth. The fact that a man with zero qualifications, experience, or demonstrated aptitude to run an organization with 3.4 million employees and an $850 billion annual budget can go on and rail about how "woke hiring" allows unqualified people to rise to positions of prominence in government just shows that some people are completely incapable of shame or introspection.

[ModernMech]

The resumes of our former and current Sec of Defense:

  General Lloyd Austin (Black):
  - 12th Commander of United States Central Command
  - 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
  - 40th Director of the Joint Staff
  Command: 
  - United States Central Command
  - Vice Chief of Staff of the Army 
  - United States Forces – Iraq
  - Multi-National Corps – Iraq 
  - XVIII Airborne Corps
  - 10th Mountain Division
  - 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division
  - 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
  Awards: 31

  Major Pete Hegseth (White):
  - Fox News Weekend Host
  Command: None
  Awards: 4

When a guy with the second bio replaces a guy with the first bio under the banner of restoring meritocracy and rooting out DEI in the armed services, I think the message is clear what they mean by "meritocracy".