Introduction
A winner is the one who remains victorious or successful at the end, whereas the one remain defeated or unsuccessful in the end will be a loser. Our world is full of the winners and the losers. In every aspect of the life, there are some winners and there are some losers, even in games. One of the most famous coaches in the football said that “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing”. The cultural assumption is dominated in America that the definition of the winners and losers is the role competition that plays in the United States. While the Assumption does value the perseverance, hard work, and by giving everything one got for becoming a winner in whatever field of life one wants to. But the assumption fails in the recognition of the obsession of the Americans by the numerous ways one devise to demonstrate themselves as a winner.
Discussion
Defining winners and losers cause the Americans to value the extrinsic rewards for the competing regardless by looking at certain intrinsic motivation values and cooperation. Most of the Americans including the Joshua and Kohn have numerous questions about the lives of Americans each aspect and it reflects the obsession of the Americans in defining of the Winners and losers (AlterNet.org). Everyone is winner or loser with respect to other. As one is the winner as compared to someone, but at the same, he is a loser as related to someone else.
Her mother, who always said him to be a champion, had influenced Joshua Davis in his early childhood. Because her mother did not win the Miss USA contest and ranked at fifth place, so she wanted her son to be a champion. However, her mother accomplished a lot in her life, and win many awards, but as she compares herself with anyone else who is more successful than she is, she started realizing that she is a loser. Life is like a competition, one can be successful than someone, but he/she can be a loser as he compared himself with others who are more successful than they are. So, a data entry clerk who aims to become a winner by fulfilling his goals came to the world arm wrestling championship, and in the field of eighteen persons, he ended up at the seventh place. Still, he is a winner than the rest of the persons who ranked below him in the competition.
However, the American society has a view that for becoming a champion one should need to give his full time and every effort he has in that field. Davis wonders about how an average citizen like him would stand in the society, where American societies only concern is being with the winners. However, the fact is that this average wrestler without winning one match become an internationally ranked arm wrestler after been labeled as a loser in his entire life, shows the Americans absurd desire to prove themselves as winners in any way. This story of the Davis is a direct criticism on the assumption of the Americans in the aspect of the value of the competition. However, David criticizes the American culture assumption in a way that the extreme efforts and the hard work can make someone a winner and can take him to the top. He came on the top without even winning any game.
American Revolution as in all conflicts resulted in winners and losers. The Patriots in the Revolution were the obvious winners because they succeeded in getting the freedom and independence, and in getting the right of practicing the representative and government (Apstudynotes.org). Whereas, the losers of the Revolution were the Loyalists as they supported the crown and their crown got defeated. American Revolution had a positive impact on those who were fighting for getting the independence from Britain. Now, people who represented the Americans can only tax the Americans. The indecisive Native Americans fate have been sealed by American Revolution. The majority of their tribes fought by the side of Britain in the war and when Britain got defeated they left in tatters and as a loser.
Alfie Kohn in the “No Contest: Play, Fun, and Competition” states that in the American cultural assumption, winning and losing is more joy able than the play. He defines the competition and the play as two different things, where the play is the enjoying of any game with full freedom as it is process orientation, whereas the competition, on the other hand, is product oriented because it is being regulated by many rules and conditions. For Americans, the competition is goal oriented with the intentions of taking trophies and obtaining the power and money and at the end, someone remains a loser (Jstor.org). It is very hard for Americans to enjoy the time when it surrounds the competition, which shows the hierarchical social status system of the Americans. He states that “we have been raised to associate recreation with the win/lose model of the society, with the assumption that someone has to be a loser in the end”.
One should need to resist the lure to learn and imitate from the most successful people. Successful persons never like to explain their success due to luck, same is the case with the audience that they are unwilling to admit that the luck is behind the success. Same is the case with the Bill Gates, who is considered as a college dropout, and will turn into the wealthiest man in the world. However, human always relies on learning from the other success. We all are a loser at some points because no one is perfect in the world.
In the modern society is the victory is the absolute factors in determining success. No one is ready to tolerate the failure, as the failure is considered the unsuccessful in the society. Most of the people fall in an area between the failure and the success. It means that a person is enough success that he can be recognized, however, should not enough fail that people will forget him. Winners are the one who takes the responsibilities, who have the eager to learn the things, who have the positive thinking mind, and winners never doubt their actions and decisions. They are goal oriented, focus themselves on the solutions and do the hard work (Fawcett, 1427-1434). Winners are more passionate, they have the courage to stand alone, and they are self-motivators. Winners have a high self-esteem, have the strong willpower, and they constantly expand their comfort zone. On the other hand, loser only keeps on looking at the problem instead of finding a solution, losers review the options instead of making a decision, and loser hangout with the loser and paid off their time instead of been paid for the results. Loser wants to get ahead of the other, instead of helping others to get ahead.
Conclusion
Americans society have continually seemed to aim for something different, better, and grander than their current affairs. Instead of being chased after the perfection, one should need to appreciate the efforts and hard work of others. Moreover, one should need to be a winner by taking responsibilities, by positive thinking, my self-esteem, and by focusing on the solution of different problems instead of only looking at them.
Works Cited
“America’s Biggest Divide: Winners And Losers.” AlterNet. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Apr. 2018.
“Winners And Losers In The American Revolution – AP U.S. History Sample Essays – Study Notes.” Apstudynotes.org. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Apr. 2018.
” Winning: Reflections On An American Obsession On JSTOR .” Jstor.org. N. p., 2018. Web. 19 Apr. 2018.
Fawcett, T. W., and R. A. Johnstone. “Learning Your Own Strength: Winner And Loser Effects Should Change With Age And Experience.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences277.1686 (2010): 1427-1434. Web. 19 Apr. 2018.
