ecial in some way, and that the weak and poor deserve to be weak and poor because they are lacking some quality internally or genetically. These beliefs come to be held by the poor and weak in a society as well as by the rich and powerful who created them in the first place. As Ryan writes, the Fair Play ideology is that "Rewards are based on individual merit; individuals differ in merit; merit is a complex of worthy internal characteristics" (65). Therefore, individuals with great wealth and power deserve those prizes which result from their special internal qualities. Ryan disagrees, arguing that what makes the difference are external social and economic matters which give advantages to certain people and groups, and which disadvantage other individuals and groups.
In Chapter 3---"Some Hard Answers: The Case for Fair Shares"---Ryan presents further argument for a fair and just alternative to the America
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