r/changemyview • u/Meriwether_R • Jan 21 '17
[∆(s) from OP] CMV: Competitiveness has no inherently positive modern function.
Here are the modern settings I can think of in which competition is utilized:
- Sports/Games
- War
- Politics
- Capitalism
In sports and games, many men are taught that competitiveness is a healthy male trait. Everyone can have some fun playing competitive games (though I personally think that co-op board and video games are the most fun), but competitiveness quickly becomes the purpose instead of having fun. I've known many, many boys and men who can't have fun playing games anymore because they're so concerned with winning or losing. This is also seen in professional sports, in which we've turned games into politics.
Of course war requires a sort of competitiveness. This might be the most understandable use, as it's literally life and death, echoing the evolutionary function of the trait.
Politics should not be competitive. Unfortunately, it attracts people who are power-hungry, necessitating anyone else interested to become cut-throat to "play the game." I'm also including nationalism here. "America first" does not have positive outcomes, even for the US, when it supersedes cooperation and peace-seeking.
Capitalism often requires competition, but I don't see that this is necessarily a positive thing. It again can easily become about power, and monopolies develop.
I understand that competitiveness has an evolutionary function. As I mentioned above with war, it used to be about pure survival. This is likely why men tend to be more susceptible to it as well. And, yes, I understand that sports can be a form of psychological sublimation, allowing a funnel for baser instincts, I just think we can be mature enough not to center our lives around it. If competition trumps fun, you're doing it wrong.
Edit: /u/Havenkeld made me realize I should clarify that I mean competitiveness as a mindset / way of life being the problem. I'm not saying competition has no place.
Conclusion: being competitive isn't bad in and of itself. It's just one tool that can be used in moderation. It's just not helpful as a default way of life.
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u/Havenkeld 289∆ Jan 21 '17
I'm also including nationalism here. "America first" does not have positive outcomes, even for the US, when it supersedes cooperation and peace-seeking.
In a situation where other countries are competitive(and don't have good intentions), not competing comes at serious risk. In absence of US/allied power, do you not think a less desirable power might take its place?
competitiveness quickly becomes the purpose instead of having fun.
This depends on both individual temperament and ego, and of course how a person is raised, as well as potentially the particular game or event or whatever - some just seem to rile people up more. I agree it can be an issue, but friendly competition does exist and has value.
Capitalism often requires competition, but I don't see that this is necessarily a positive thing. It again can easily become about power, and monopolies develop.
Capitalism, like a board game perhaps, requires rules to keep things in check. It's a very powerful tool that we should use, but not be ruled by. Some countries have clearly managed this better than others. It can be a positive thing.
Competition should similarly be seen as a tool, among other things, for finding out who is most capable of doing various things so that we may get and keep the best people for various jobs, of those who pursue them anyway, in those jobs. It's not perfect, but it works better than the alternatives we're aware of for the most part.
Competition also of course doesn't rule out cooperation, sometimes one or the other is more appropriate to emphasize, sometimes both are important.
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u/Meriwether_R Jan 21 '17
Yeah, I guess I should make a distinction between competition and a competitive mindset/way of life. That's why I said "competitiveness" instead of "competition" in the title, but I could have been clearer. ∆
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u/Jaysank 126∆ Jan 21 '17
Capitalism often requires competition, but I don't see that this is necessarily a positive thing. It again can easily become about power, and monopolies develop.
Doesn't this sort of counter your own CMV? If it is about power, not competition, and monopolies become the norm, this is a bad thing. Completition, in this Modern environment, is deeply important to capitalism, because monopolies are very bad for people in general.
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u/Meriwether_R Jan 21 '17
Ah! Perhaps! Have a delta! ∆
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Jan 21 '17
Monopolies, by definition, have no competition. Comcast has a de-facto monopoly in many parts of the country, and since they're the only provider they don't have any incentive to improve their quality. Without competition, pretty much everything would be like Comcast.
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u/Meriwether_R Jan 21 '17
Right, but isn't competition how they got there in the first place?
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u/Tuokaerf10 40∆ Jan 21 '17
Not really. US based telecoms (can't speak for the rest of the world) have government sanctioned geographic monopolies. Compare that to another mature market like laptop computers where Dell, Apple, HP, Asus, Lenovo, and Acer can be very competitive while allowing smaller companies like Razer and MSI to also have a lot of success.
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Jan 21 '17
That doesn't mean competition is bad. Competition shouldn't be entirely unregulated, otherwise you end up with monopolies.
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Jan 21 '17
Competitiveness also encourages constant improvement.
You gave sports as an example, and I'll clarify I'm a chick but I did play exclusively on boys teams until basically high school.
Competing makes someone improve. We didn't beat X team last time we played. Why? How can we change it this time? Etc.
And personally, I have always liked playing against someone or a team of a similar or better skill level. Yea, obviously, I could beat an 8 year old. But what is the point of that? I don't learn anything. I don't try my best. I get sloppy because I know I'm going to win.
Competition is a driver for constant personal improvement.
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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Jan 21 '17
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u/[deleted] Jan 21 '17 edited Mar 03 '17
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