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I've always wondered why the hell adults decided to raise my generation with participation trophies. Why did they think that was a good idea? It has created a generation of snowflakes who think they're entitled to things they don't deserve. A generation not willing to strive to succeed. They want rewards for merely existing
I really have no idea what you guys are talking about. I'm a millennial. I came in last place a lot with sports and whatnot. But I never got these participation trophies. No one in my school, or any school I've been in, had ever been given a participation trophy for coming in last place. I only hear about these things on the internet and at this point I feel like this is some sort of mandella effect...
Maybe the parents couldn't face the fact that their kid was a loser. So it made them feel better about themselves when their kid came home with a trophy no matter how bogus.
who tf actually GOT participation trophies? I hear so goddamned much about it, but at not point in all of my years of schooling have I ever known anyone to get them, including myself. if you fucked up, you got a zero, if you were a kid, the teacher didn't give you recess. if you didn't fuck up, you did the homework, and got a decent grade, the teacher gave you a pizza party at the end of the week (the kids who fucked up? they didn't get any pizza).
I AM SICK OF HEARING IT. NOBODY THAT I FUCKING KNEW OR GREW UP WITH EVER GOT A FUCKING TROPHY FOR EXISTING.
I’m British and remember one of my sisters getting a participation medal of sorts but I never received one. Perhaps it’s only in certain parts of the USA?
My elementary school had a yearly youths olympics kind of thing with races, long jumps, tug of war, etc. & every one got a medal/ribbon. Still got most of mine to prove it, though the only things I ever won was the tug of war & 1 time the barrel race. Everything else I sucked at.
The only reason you keep hearing about participation trophies and medals is because the concept has become a meme in the right-wing world. That mindset loves the idea of social Darwinism: how the world is divided into winners and losers, and how the winners are entitled to all the toys while the losers should just suck it up. And, of course, everyone spouting this crap believes that they're a WINNER - or at least they would be, if only women/Blacks/gays/transexual people/libs/Jews/etc knew their place and didn't keep cheating and stealing the toys.
Lots of people with that mindset view life as a zero-sum game. If they win the frigging twenty yard sprint in some end of schoolyear second grade competition, they deserve a trophy, and handing out any sort of recognition that all the other kids did their best diminishes the value of that trophy. The winner deserves all the limelight, dammit, and everybody else just sucks!
I remember how much I used to hate that when I was a kid. In preschool, we had these competitions you could say, you know. Sprinting, jumping, all sorts of things. I was ALWAYS dominating in these events against the other kids. Yet, despite winning time after time, the other kids still got the same medals that I got. I found that demotivating to say the least. Why even try hard when the outcome will still be the same?
Therein lies the problem with socialism.
(Why even try hard when the outcome will still be the same?)
People want to live in a society now where theres no winners and losers. Where losers can excell and winners will be punished for their accomplishments by giving the fruits of their labor to the losers.
I think this upbringing might be one of the reasons why communism is so popular amongst millennials & zoomers.
Or - just maybe - the reason alternative economic structures appeal to young people is because they're smart enough to see how the current form of capitalism has been deliberately structured by those in power to give huge benefits to a tiny number of people and fuck over literally everyone else.
Wow! Did you let your kids write this comment.
I'm surprised, not of your liberal view point or anti capitalism view, however your comments normally present a very intelligent view or argument with some backing.
This argument just implies the rich and powerful have their foot on you and control everything. That you as a person just need to accept that unless you change the system, you can't succeed. That is so wrong.
This world has more millionaires and billionaires today and everyday adds more. They weren't all born rich or born into the power group.
A lot of them are self made and if you're just talking about the USA, your chance at success and changing your social status position there is probably 10 times better than any country I know of.
Many countries I've known of, unless you are truely in the power class or show some exceptional skill by age ten or early teens, just consider there is no need to waste money on you. You will just be a worker bee or follow the family business what ever that is.
That's the communist, socialist way, and even some monarchies follow that way.
Your answer shows or gives the perception that this is a soap box issue for you. No one's going to bring facts to the table and change your mind.
I would say, from what I've seen, in the USA you have a better chance of success if your parents are rich, you are dirt poor, or an immigrant.
There are so many programs to help the under privileged (I believe that's the US term), if you or your parents are just middle class worker bees it's going to be a challenge and up to you.
Intelligent ppl get tricked into that shit too. They get half their money taken from them in europe by the government to get "free" benefits. Liberals think social programs like social security are a god send when its literally the government taking your own money from you and giving it to you later in life. Id rather just save the money myself personally. They think all their perks are free but go ahead and look at europes taxes and then the USAs. Doesnt look free.
Id love for you to elaborate on that. I believe that borders on victim mentality rhetoric. I believe that is actually an excuse that will hold you back and keep you poor better than the "rigged" system.
You think when Jeff Bezos was a kid and he was putting on his McDonalds uniform that he was saying "I can not succeed. I cant get rich because of capitalism." No he put on the uniform and said "one day I'll own this fuckin company".
That mind set is poison in a competitive environment like capitalism.
Because the generation wanted a better life for their kids. So they raised them soft.
Every generation thinks the newer generation is entitled. Reflect on your own behavior before worrying about how other people act
The original idea, as I understand it, was that it was important to have children (and adults) participate in certain activities and learn to work together; which is not a bad idea as we all need to learn social skills and learn to work in groups or teams.
Then someone though it would be a great idea to stop identifying those that were at the lower level of to prevent inducing low self esteem. Thus, participation rewards moved into competitive events... and the results have been disastrous, in my opinion.
It did not help raise real self esteem... It provided a false sense of security which crumbles when the children meet the real world.
Among the successful it lowered self esteem.
There's most of a generation that really does not understand or have been prepared for the realities of life...
I don't remember my upbringing being full of participation trophies, but I once partook in a race where everyone got that. I didnt know that wasnt the norm at that age, and it didnt really mean much. Either way, I think some people find it unfair that some end up losers despite actually trying their best (statistically there will always be some who lose of course). I think we found out by now it does more harm than good so its time to quit
After that happening to me a couple times I lost any interest in competitions. No bloody point to them
Trophies were almost non-existent at the schools I went to growing up, from elementary up to high school. I only saw them in movies, as props in an 'average American kid's' bedroom.
I've never seen a participation trophy before but I'm all for it as that's a really healthy idea
When I was 6 i was in a ballet troupe that partook in “competitions”. No one actually one anything ever because it was more like a recital, but they called it a competition. Anyway, they always had a table where you could buy a trophy and of course my mother bought me one. But that was because she wanted to encourage me to try even when things got tough.
I also learned I have zero coordination for dancing and have no rhythm when starting routines with my non dominant foot. Music is my passion tho.
I also never remember receiving a participation trophy and I'm 25. We had certificates and stuff for completing certain academic things, like reading the most pages in a year, or you could earn cards for good behavior and turn them in for a prize.
And I grew up in what apparently is liberal central, California. It seems to me it was blown out of proportion by media trying to skew people's opinions in certain ways.
I'm 26 and I didn't really participate in sports or anything like that, but do remember that the one trophy I won in a 4-H horse show as a kid was a participation trophy of sorts because I was the only one entered in that class, thereby winning Grand Champion. 🤣 I still have it in my office, along with the few ribbons I won at the few horse shows I was able to attend growing up.
Oddly enough, a girl I knew who also showed in 4-H and regularly won while I frequently placed third or below got extremely butthurt when I got that trophy and she hadn't won one that day, and held a grudge for YEARS after that. Her father, who was our 4-H leader, even got upset and said we should've entered into a different class. It was crazy!
Anyway, I do believe that people need to learn to accept that they will not win or come out on top every time, and that getting there requires hard work. If you want something badly enough, you have to work for it, it will not simply be given to you.
I have definitely noticed whenever I've accomplished things I've worked hard for in my life, I've had a couple of friends occasionally get pretty bitter and jealous about it, when in reality, they could have achieved the same things if they had been willing to put in the same amount of effort and hard work as I did, along with making the same sacrifices. One did everything he could to avoid work and was extremely resentful towards me that I could afford a lifestyle he couldn't.
The only problem with your assertion is that it's not supported by historical facts.
Participation trophies started being handed out in the USA around a century ago. So the moral rot you believe to be caused by these inconsequential trinkets should have set in long before the 1950s; a period many of those on the political right hark back to as a lost golden age when men were men, and women and racial minorities kept to their rightful, subservient place.
https://slate.com/culture/2019/04/participation-trophy-history-world-war-i.html
Your rant on this post and spin to try and turn it in to something racist, anti LGBT.., , or even just anti liberal disappoints me.
To use a reference from a liberal rag to back a liberal view point doesn't help. It just makes me question all your previous comments that seemed so we'll researched and voiced.
I was in the US, in school, not just when they started, (and I'm not 100 years old yet), participation trophies but also when they had a movement to change grades from ABC and percentage scores to a simple, S for satisfactory or N for needs improvement.
None of us that knew we could get an S studied or cared, except when it came time to get into college and our records just showed satisfactory completion of a course the same as the rock that sat next to me that barely scraped by.
It was developed by the touchy feely generation to prevent hurting anyone's feelings and to prevent a stigmatism of being stupid or a rock. It doesn't work we knew who the rocks were anyway.
It had it's basis on the old self fulfilling prophecy theory. If you tell somebody they are a failure or stupid enough times they will in fact see themselves as a failure or stupid. I don't disagree with that theory. However not giving a reward or recognition to those that truely excell kills any incentive to do or get better.
Even minorities, LGBT, and liberals should be able to see and admit it's a good thing to recognize exceptional talent and to let those who aren't up to par and need improvement that there comes a point when your not going to be able to continue down a certain road it's not in your skill set or you don't care enough to put forth the effort. Sorry but you failed at this task!
All people matter! and yes some are better at certain things while others may be better at other things. Get over it. Everything is not based on your race or gender.
I think all this far left liberal direction is gonna backfire on them and make us turn a sharp right. I think a lot of working class young ppl are gonna raise their kids far more conservatively and not allow them to get brain washed into nonsense.