A "strongly implied message," whether it's truly there or not, does not "clear cut hypocrisy" make. This reminds me of a similar meme in recent/current cultural memory: 'Anti-woke' types love to claim that "Black Lives Matter" means or strongly implies that 'all lives' do not. There are many discussions about why this simply isn't the case.

To some, though, it may very well be true. But that's an issue with today's slogan- and owning-the-other-side- based discourse. For what it's worth, I agree with you that merits alone should make the hiring decision.

As someone you'd probably label "woke," I think we should also acknowledge that it is entirely possible and common that inherent bias makes that difficult for white people in hiring positions. Yes, that can happen with ageism as well.