When I was in sixth grade I lost both a spelling competition and a sport competition. It pretty much meant that I was not a top student intellectually or physically. The spelling competition was your run of the mill type — I couldn’t spell “equalize,” so I was out. The sport competition was the then coveted Presidential Physical Fitness Test where you accumulate points. I did “pass” the test, but not at the highest level possible (damn pull ups).

When I was a kid, there were winners and losers. There were people who were not picked quickly for a game of pickup football (some of us were never really “picked” at all — just the last one standing). Although our feelings may have been hurt, these experiences still manifested real life — yes, Virginia, there are losers. The losers either tried harder or found something they were good at. In any case, we all turned out OK .

Today, of course, is much different. We all get to be winners. There are no losers, no second place, no runners-up, no chance for anyone’s precious developing ego to be crushed by mean-spirited adults and peers. [Read more...]