If everyone is a leader, who's going to follow them? [Part 1]

I mentioned this phrase in a previous post, but I feel as though I should at least briefly try explain what I mean.

There's a rather interesting way of thinking that has become very prominent over the past few years. This way of thinking has changed how children's sports are scored, how competitions for young people are organized, and a large part of American schools and business. This way of thinking is that everyone is special. Everyone is a winner. There is no loser. Everyone is the same. Sounds like a wonderful point of view, right? Everyone is equal. A dream come true, right? Considering how many dystopian novels have been written about exactly this way of thinking, it doesn't really seem like the best idea to me.

Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, for example, is a novel about a dystopian society where people who are smarter, more talented, prettier, or stronger, are given handicaps in order to make them equal to everyone else. Ever heard of The Mercy Rule in today's children's sports? It's when one team is beating the other so badly that they just end the game to keep from upsetting the children and their parents. Sounds like a handicap to me.

The Mercy Rule also brings parents into the equation. Of course every parent loves their children. Of course they think they're special. But if you tell a little kid that he's Superman, and keep telling him that he's Superman for his entire life, he's going to grow up thinking that he's Superman. What ever happened to rewarding accomplishment? If you give every single kid a trophy so no one feels left out, they're not going to try has hard. No matter what they do they'll get a gold star because they "tried". Failure is the motivation to improve oneself, to do better at whatever they've failed. Some kids need a good kick in the face from my dear friend Mr. Failure.


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Bridget's words of wisdom for today is actually a quote.

"When everyone's super, no one will be.." - Syndrome, The Incredibles.