Hard work is usually necessary for success, but all to often, it's not sufficient.

I like to call it the respectability lottery. If you win -- great! But if not ...?

Like any lottery, there are a few winners and a great many disappointments. Working hard is like buying a ticket -- you can't win if you don't play (Unless, of course, your family owns the lottery!) OTOH, hard work is no guarantee of success -- you also need luck, connections, and the right "look." In fact, some people -- mostly those born rich, male, and white -- can succeed without any work; their family gives them everything, even after they are grown.

On the other hand, there are people who work very hard yet still struggle to survive. Farmworkers, retail workers, and domestic workers come immediately to mind, also many health care workers. These are disproportionately BIPOC folks. Many people cannot even keep a roof over their heads because minimum wage has not kept up with housing costs and other costs of living. (Yes, there are homeless people who hold jobs!)

Meanwhile, the wealth disparity between the richest of us and the rest of us is greater here in the USA than in most other industrialized countries -- in fact, it's nearly on par with that seen in countries suffering from the after-effects of colonization. This suggests that the ruling class could afford to pay living wages to all workers -- they just don't want to.

Meritocracy sounds great on paper. But in the real world, it doesn't always work out that way.