@ucbalumnus
Although I understand your point, I respectfully do not believe that certain economic or political systems, in themselves, cause a greater or lesser degree of cutthroat competition. However, one could argue that the existence of free enterprise in itself does permit an “unlimited” level of competition which some will see as opportunities to vanquish their competitors.
I sometimes think adults use the wrong metaphors to discuss opportunity and economics. For example, one of my graduate school professors once compared the American economy to a pie (frequently used metaphor) and lamented the “fact” that when some have a larger piece, others have smaller pieces. That’s a pretty static understanding of economics, and I think the same happens with college admissions. Certainly, if the circumference of true opportunity is admission to a finite group of elite private schools, then those not admitted are consigned to “smaller pieces,” but that is simply not the case, as demonstrated repeatedly on CC and in the NYT Comments section of the article. I hope you would agree.
Maybe a better metaphor is seeds or plants, nourished and trimmed and bearing fruit – or not. One can inherit or purchase an entire vineyard and then let it rot.