Coercion

In the past I listened to novelists and artists defend hierarchies in their creative fields. We believe in democracy, but we don't award the Pulitzer prize by asking the general public to take a vote. 

It seemed to me that a contradiction existed between "all people are created equal" and the hierarchies we create inside our families, in our churches, at the places we work, etc. 

I see now that the ancient Chinese addressed some of this. 

Because people are different, the Chinese wrote, there will be hierarchies. Some hierarchies are natural. Talent can rise to the top. The worst hierarchies are those that depend on coercion. 

President Trump would disagree, of course. A coward, he has wasted his life trying to coerce reality.