Defining The Winners And Losers English Literature Essay

Defining The Winners And Losers English Literature EssayWinning isnt everything, its the all thing (Lattterell 210). Spoken by one of the virtually well-known football coaches ever, Vince Lombardi sums up the revalue America smears on controversy in this quote. America is dominated by the pagan assumption that the role aspiration jobs in the United States is to lay out succeeders and losers. While the assumption does value disfranchised work, perseverance, and giving all ones got as a pathway to capture a winner as well as whoever or whatever one dreams of being in life, the assumption fails to recognize Ameri poops obsessions with the infinite new ways they concoct just to prove themselves as winners. In addition, the assumption does non take into account the way contender kindle turn into an out-of-control complete issue of civility (Latterell 211-213). Even more so, be winners and losers causes Americans to value the extrinsic rewards for competing instead of look ing at the value of intrinsic motivation and cooperation (Latterell 213-214). Joshua Davis and Alfie Kohn each question the assumption that constitutes almost every aspect of Americans lives and reflects Americas obsession with defining winners and losers.To begin with, Joshua Davis looks at the American cultural assumption on competition in his essay team up USA by looking at how it turninged a role in his own life. From azoic childhood, Davis had been influenced by his m separate to become the champion she had never become. Ever since his mother place fifth in the 1962 Miss USA contest, she looked to her son to become the champion she had never been. Even after all of her accomplishments, she soothe saw herself as a loser or just aver date, and on that pointfore, she wanted her son to become the winner she could no longer become (263-264). As humorous as it sounds, the five-foot-nine-inch, 129-pound data entry clerk looked to carry through his goal to become a winner in his own right by becoming a professional arm wrestler (262). In the end, Davis made it all the way to the World Arm combat Championships and ended up postulateting 17th in a field of eighteen. Humorously, Davis is now ranked seventeenth in the world for the 132-pound arm wrestling division without even loving one single encounter (275).Overall, the essay pokes fun at the American ideal that each individual can become a champion and winner if he/she really puts his/her mind to it and give it everything he/she has got. American society is so concerned with being winners that Davis wonders where an average citizen like himself stands out in society (275). The item that this average citizen, who has been labelled a loser his entire life, becomes an internationally ranked arm wrestler without winning one receive reflects Americans absurd desire to prove themselves as winners in any way imaginable. Daviss story is a aspire criticism of Americas assumption on the value of competition . It is even essential to take notice of the way Davis criticizes Americas cultural assumption that hard work and extreme effort will get anyone to the top. His essay criticizes the assumption because he became internationally ranked with not one win and not nearly the amount of clip and hard work that is needed to reach such a steep lieu. By writing about his take of becoming an internationally ranked arm wrestler through zero wins and no experiences or matches in arm-wrestling in his life prior to the U.S. National Arm Wrestling Championships, the essay further points out the silly, ridiculous, bizarre, and soon enough comical ways Americans try to prove themselves as winners (265). His mothers disappointment that came from competing in beauty pageants followed by her laborious desire to push her own son to the status of champion is a sad representative guinea pig of Americas cultural desire to win-at-all-costs for trophies and other extrinsic rewards. The fact that some ar m wrestlers had their legs amputated in order to path off unnecessary weight so that they could have a better(p) advantage at winning the gold is yet another ridiculous extreme people resort to in order to get themselves to the admirable, distinguished status of being a winner (275). Essentially, the essay is a criticism of the value Americans place on being a winner and the measures people go to in order to become a winner.In No Contest Play, Fun, and Competition, Alfie Kohn argues against the cultural assumption that competition and defining winners and losers is more adoreable than piddle away (277). To begin with, Kohn defines prevail and competition as two separate entities. He sees play as a voluntary and pleasing source of freedom free from being serious and free from the recordings of results and scores because they do not matter in play. Whereas play represents a process orientation (278) that is intrinsically gratifying, competition represents a product orientation (2 78) that is extrinsically gratifying. Furthermore, competition is powerfully regulated with many rules. Motivating Americans for acceptance outside of oneself, competition is very goal-oriented with strong incentives to obtain power, trophies, and/or money (278-280). In competition, someone must end up a loser (286).Kohn makes a very important point in noticing that it is very hard for Americans to enjoy their unfilled time when it is filled with competitions that directly resemble corporate America and Americas hierarchical social status system (280). In essence, Kohn is saying that competition especially sports resemble work more than it resembles pleasure and leisure (279). Competitions and sports are mainly getting people ready for a life that is filled with work, competition, and winners and losers (280). One of Kohns most important points is when he states that We have been raised to associate recreation with the win/lose model of our society, to affect that having fun means someone has to end up a loser (286). More importantly is the fact that when a victor is named and receives an external reward for their accomplishment over another person/team, any other gratification that could come from a game is lost. Thus the goal and the focus are only on winning in order to receive societys favor, adoration, and respect (282).In order to give a better expression of what play looks like, it is necessary to at least identify one of the many noncompetitive games cited in his essay. One such ensample is the cooperative rather than noncompetitive game called Cooperative Bowling. In this example of play, participants try to take down all ten pins in as many rounds as there are players. It is also significant to note that in play others are partners rather than opponents as in competition (288).Overall, Kohns main point he tries to get across is his belief that play not only can be much more pleasurable than the win/lose structure of competition, but that play can also make people an overall better human being than competition can (277). Furthermore, his entire essay helps assert that play has many more benefits compared to the benefits of competition. Kohn uses the unique advantages people think competition offers and shows how they can be just as advantageous if not more when one is selectd in play of all kinds. When looking at the unique quality of teamwork, play is more unspoilt and enjoyable because teamwork is, simply stated, a cooperative activity aimed at working together towards a common goal. Therefore, since play forces everyone to cooperate together while competition involves one group working against another enemy, play is double as gratifying as competition is (283). In addition, play can be just as challenging as competition as evidenced by Cooperative Bowling (287-288). Play can also involve a determination to beat ones own previous record such as in running to beat ones previous time(s). It is important to note that this e xample of play does not involve competition because there are no winners or losers there is only a push to scrap and better oneself rather than compare oneself to others as competition does (284). Every attempt whether failed or succeeded is nonetheless beneficial when a person challenges himself/herself.One key feature of competition is the destruction and disadvantages, that competition, and not play, creates. Competition and play are both similar in that they are supposed to provide large scale involvement and enjoyment. However, looking at the rates of participation in North America makes one conclude that competition is not very popular or very much enjoyed. In North America it is not uncommon to lose from 80 to 90 percent of our registered organized sports participants by 15 years of age (285). That statistic alone should stand out as a major drawback of competition since competition is meant to yield considerable participation and enjoyment. Even more so, the pervasive com petitiveness in childrens athletic programs such as elfin League baseball helps one to see the damage competition causes. Angry parents who yell at their children, humble them in the process, are such sad sights to see because they only to want to see their children win (286). As a certified soccer referee who has refereed for over four years now, I can strongly agree with this statement. Competition and sports are valued and accepted for their hostility, aggression, and violence as well (281). It is hard to correlate competition with fun, enjoyment, and unique advantages with this kind of evidence (286).Findings show that once children are exposed to noncompetitive games they more often than not prefer these games compared to competitive ones. However, society is socialized and brainwashed into thinking that competition is more enjoyable. When individuals are judged on their own efforts as in play or noncompetitive games and not compared or measured to any other individuals, gr eater benefits and enjoyment can be obtained (287). Cooperative games offer a satisfaction not only for the success of oneself but also for the success of all involved sadly, this gratifying advantage is polish off from competition (289).In conclusion, America is encompassed with the assumption that the only way to enjoy and benefit from leisure time is to engage in the win/lose model of competition. While competition is unlikely to fade from its high ranks in capitalistic America, it is essential for Americans to look more at play and noncompetitive games as opportunities for lift social harmony and enjoyment and success for all.