It is relatively uncontroversial to believe that jobs, educational opportunities, and financial rewards should go to people who have earned these benefits. Especially in the United States, where a distrust for inherited privilege and aristocracy is woven into the country’s founding and culture, there is a distinctly negative reaction to an undeserving person who seems to have obtained their wealth or power through unfair methods. A system where prestige, opportunity, or rewards are bestowed on the basis of earned excellence is called a meritocracy. If functioning well, a meritocracy provides opportunities for worthy non-elites and helps society run more efficiently because rewards and incentives are not wasted on undeserving people.