Snide
There are many things to like about living in Britain. The history, scenery, diversity and a largely benign environment are wonderful as are many other things.
But the thing that seems to irritate me the most is the depressing attitude towards achievement. This tweet sums it all up:
Oh, that would be amazing RT @colm_ryan: Or the gold medal note could be “Well done you, but it’s not like you cured cancer or something”.
Not everybody is interested in being a cancer researcher. Not everyone is a towering intellect, capable of curing cancer (something I note that neither Richard Wiseman or Colm Ryan have done either.)
And don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of the Olympics – it’s a massive corporatist money-grabbing operation and I wish London hadn’t won the 2012 Olympics. As far as I can see, it looks like there is certainly the appearance of massive opportunities for fleecing attendees, sponsors, governments and probably the athletes as well.
But given that there is a forum for people who are motivated by their sports to compete and achieve things, the one thing that I cannot abide is the constant shitting on their achievements, or indeed anyone else’s achievements.
Just because you have a set of interests and priorities does not give you any right to sit in judgement of someone else’s. As long as someone is not harming someone else, I really don’t care what gives them a buzz, and if they do exceptionally well at it, well, good for them.
I might not give a shit about how fast you can run 100 metres, but if you can run it faster than anyone else on the planet, well, good for you! Well done for trying to be the best at something, even if it’s not going to cure cancer.
And the same argument applies to any other kind of achievement: legally made lots of money? Good for you! Won a crossword competition? Aces! Won the Champions League? Great!
There’s nothing wrong with someone else achieving, other than it may make you look at your own lack thereof. And if you don’t like what you see, don’t blame people who get off their arses. They don’t do it to make you look worthless, you do that all by yourself.
Obo
Previously published on Obo’s blog.
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1
June 8, 2012 at 13:21 -
Great post. Life is not a zero sum game – success for someone else doesn’t necessarily mean a failure for another.
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3
June 8, 2012 at 14:19 -
It’s a strange one, isn’t it? Some people seem to have no problem at lauding some artists and entertainers (“what talent they have – their sculptures are worth millions!”) but are utterly envious of someone who has a big house and a nice car earned by running a business. Elitism and success, it seems, are acceptable in some fields of human endeavor, but not others.
The olympics do demonstrate something else, too. There are many gifted and hard-working athletes who will compete – and they have to be respected because only the best get the chance to compete to see who is the best of the best. Sadly, however, they are surrounded by a cabal of hangers-on, who’s best talents seem to be extracting large amounts of money from others by dubious means, and seeing it pass to their bank accounts by equally devious routes.
That the purity of genuine talent and effort is tainted by human greed is sad.
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4
June 8, 2012 at 14:42
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5
June 8, 2012 at 15:52 -
It’s the “prizes for all” attitude that gets me mad. We are not all equal and any attempt to belittle those who are more talented at one thing, be it sport, business or whatever should be challenged.
Oh but they say that only rewarding the best will hurt the feeling of all the others. Well tough.
What about the Usain Bolts of the world who turn a raw talent into a world beating ability to run faster than anyone has ever run? What about their feelings? Why should they bother with all that training when the useless fat git who can’t walk upstairs without getting out of breath get the same gold medal?
Only the best should get medals -
6
June 8, 2012 at 17:25 -
In these days of ‘equality’ it is WRONG that anyone is allowed to be ‘worse’ at anything.
To ensure complete leveling-down (as proposed in the 1961 short story “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr) , the government should institute a “Department of the Handicapper General”
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7
June 8, 2012 at 17:49 -
I’m more or less indifferent to the Olympics. My only objection being that it’s cost the poor bloody taxpayers several billion quid.
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8
June 8, 2012 at 19:23 -
Each to his own, live and let live, is what I say.
I was present when Will.i.am carried the Olympic torch for a few yards in Taunton – the enthusiasm and cheers bestowed on him by the crowd far exceeded the accolade given to the preceding torch bearer, an unknown young girl. I found this rather sad, and a rather depressing proof of our prevailing, over the top, “celebrity” culture.
But, as I say, each to his own.
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9
June 9, 2012 at 02:20 -
sports are the opiates of the masses. Breaking some record or kicking a goal does little to advance the well being of most people.
Trying to eliminate some desease is a general benefit.
As for liking living in diverse britain You have to say that as it is punishable if you say otherwise.-
10
June 9, 2012 at 08:10 -
No problem with appreciating achievement, but I also think we have a problem of perspective when it comes to sports.
Even if someone has dedicated years to training, sport is still no more than a pastime for personal enjoyment, an amusement, or entertainment. (body armour now in place)
Pretty low down the scale compared say with the day to day of a front line serviceman or woman.
And when cheering that winning sprinter for his few seconds of supreme achievement, how does that compare to the thousands of businessmen providing jobs and self respect- for years.I don’t buy into the idea that sports competition is a safe surrogate for conflict, but perhaps memories of being taken as a youngster to stand on icy terraces at Elm Park don’t help.
Just a view
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11
June 9, 2012 at 02:33 -
“I might not give a shit about how fast you can run 100 metres, but if you can run it faster than anyone else on the planet, well, good for you!”
Except, of course, many cannot. There is the glaring anomoly of Gold medals being pinned on people who cannot run fast at all. In fact cannot run as fast as an amateur runner’s qualifying time.
Women.
It cuts across most ‘Olympic’ sports with just a few exceptions (like archery, say). Not only the Olympics but Tennis too where the ‘Champion’ woman demands as much Prize money as the Champion man, in the name of the missing olympic God, Equality, while doing only three-fifths of the work. In that travesty of a game, the first seed woman can be beaten hands down by the 1000th seeded man.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not at all against women’s sports and not against women who prove themselves better, faster, more enduring than other women. I quite enjoys seeing the gals strive and enjoy themselves. But let us not continue the farce of supposing they are even Equal to, let alone the ‘Best in the World’ or better than ‘anyone else on the Planet’.
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12
June 9, 2012 at 04:59 -
I have absolutely nothing against anyone who has a superior talent at something or another, or even against them earning loads a money. But I do mind when they don’t know how to behave, or think that they have some God given right to act like morons. And sadly, some of them do.
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13
June 9, 2012 at 11:12 -
Well, you know what they say ” There is one thing an Englishman (I say everyone) hates more than failure and that is success”
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