Peter Principle no longer operative

The first time I saw that term being used was back in my freshman year of college.  There was a certain amount of logic in it back then.  For those not familiar, the Peter Principle postulates that one rises to ones level of incompetence.  But that was over forty years ago.  Does it still apply?

Probably not.  Here's why.  Affirmative action.  Once that got established in this country, merit no longer mattered.  For the Peter Principle to work, merit has to be the gold standard.  Whoops!  The gold standard went away in 1933.  But I digress.

Examples can be seen from my own relations.  Two of my older brothers are pretty good at what they do.  They've been doing it for many, many years.  That's cuz, like me, they are no longer spring chickens.  Unlike me, they are still pretty healthy.  But they both say that they can no longer make money.   Does that mean that they've suddenly become incompetent?  I don't think so.  From what I can see from number one, he's still better than most.   "Worf" made some pretty decent houses from what I could see of his work.

Nope, what's rewarded these days is the opposite.  These days you get a "juice box and participation trophy".  Basically, you get rewarded for being a screw up.  Competency is no longer desired.  It is now who you know, what color or gender you are, and so forth.  Nothing to do with how well  you do your work.  You can be the biggest screw up in the world, and still be a Democrat nominee for President.  Like Hillary Clinton.  Her main qualification was that she was a girl.

'Nuff said.