They're really deserved it and in my opinion, a highest rank (new one) should be applied for 10,000+ or 20,000+ merit. No more rank above it so its requirement should be really high.
The ones with 10,000 merits are mostly
merit sources gifting each-other nonsensically high merits for essentially glib posts to each-other with none of the trickle down effect that @theymos was hoping for to help those at lower rank positions rank up. The only place where the ranks count is in the campaigns where legendary pays higher than hero etc. I could have posted this comment in another thread this week where it has become clear a handful of newbies are alts all participating in the pumpkin merit competition. Why? Because they are scrounging a living creating alts to then joining multiple (or the same) signature campaigns.
theymos' experiment with merits as a means of rank promotion is an abject failure as the DT1 merit sources golden shower each-other with high merits for status and the newbies get nothing trickling down, hence their prolific shit posting and alt farms.
There is never a reason to merit more than one or two merits and, once you attain the rank of legendary, then you don't need merits being bestowed on you if all you are going to do is merit other legendary users, not those below you in the ranking positions.