Jumping Through Hoops

“The meritocratic ideal has become not a remedy for inequality but a justification of it. The more we think of ourselves as self-made and self-sufficient, the harder it is to learn gratitude and humility.” - Michael J. Sandel

“The system is rigged not by conspiracy but by design. Its hoops are meant to be jumped through, its forms meant to weary. Those who remain are not always the best, just the most willing to stay.” - James Baldwin

“Tests of endurance, when mistaken for tests of excellence, exclude precisely those whose talents the world most needs.” - Malcolm Gladwell

The essence of a system intended to filter applicants through a purposefully time-consuming and rigorous ordeal is captured by the requirement that applicants complete a particular kind of rigorous selection process via application. Some people must go through a selection process that is challenging by design.

It's more about determining who is willing to put in the work than it is about gathering data. These "weeding-out" or "trial by fire" methods purposefully reward tenacity, perseverance, and grit. Every boring essay, requirement, and form turns into a silent warning: you won't last here if this is too much for you.

This approach is used by organizations to manage excessive applicant numbers, create the intensity of the actual work, and assess commitment. The procedure itself turns into a testing ground that benefits the few who are determined and view the experience as a necessary component of their work rather than a barrier to it.

Despite its effectiveness, this type of filtering comes at a price. In addition to the unmotivated, it frequently filters out the overworked, underprivileged, underresourced, and, for many people of colour, and the creative thinkers who don't thrive on bureaucracy. It creates an elite identity based on quiet exclusion and shared struggle by favouring conformity and stubbornness over skill. The blind spot of such systems are thus captured by such jumping through hoops; they guarantee that only the most determined survive, sometimes at the expense of the creative or the most future successes.