DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Competition- Does it matter?

**SteantyjetMaw** · 10-03-2009, 07:21 PM

mod note: yeah, let's keep hare, yochelson & samenow out of it! seriously - keeping in mind it's not a private conversation, and the topic is competition - layman's terms of engagement, gentlemen, please...

thanks, mods. that sounds like a good idea. could we start with a layman's definition of "psychopath," so we'll all have a basic idea of what we're talking about? i think this excerpt from wikipedia is a pretty good summary:

aggressive narcissism
glibness/superficial charm
grandiose sense of self-worth
pathological lying
cunning/manipulative
lack of remorse or guilt
shallow
callous/lack of empathy
failure to accept responsibility for own actions
socially deviant lifestyle
need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
parasitic lifestyle
poor behavioral control
promiscuous sexual behavior
lack of realistic, long-term goals
impulsivity
irresponsibility
juvenile delinquency
early behavior problems
revocation of conditional release
many short-term marital relationships
criminal versatility

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/psychopath

these are the guys you don't want your sister (or your widowed mother) to date. the important thing is that those traits don't just describe criminals locked up behind bars, but they also describe "successful" people like top executives & powerful politicians who lack regard for basic honesty, & are good at hiding behind appearances.

basically what metamike is saying (if i understand him right) is that those traits show up in people who seem normal on the surface, but, combined all together, they have a destructive effect on a whole society. i have seen wide agreement that this idea is true in the usa. the positive spin we put on "competitiveness" in our culture as being good for business has eventually created a situation where we admire greed & willingness to engage in outright criminality - provided the person is smart enough not to get caught. i've seen trends where this attitude is catching on in other parts of the world, such as the uk. this is the first i've heard about it being widespread in scandinavia. i generally see scandinavia as a culture being more healthy than the usa, based on a number of factors.

i think that "healthy competition" can be a good thing, *if* it helps you bring out your best effort but doesn't ruin your day when you lose. my wife & i enjoy competing at board games like scrabble & monopoly, for example, but we have fun no matter who wins or loses. i suspect we are an exception, at least in the usa.

basically, i am really happy to see people taking a look at themselves & asking whether their own competitiveness is a good thing or not. that sets a good example, and i'd like to see a lot of other people follow it.

thanks, everyone, for contributing to this thread.

paul

10-03-2009, 07:21 PM	#27
SteantyjetMaw Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 566 Senior Member	mod note: yeah, let's keep hare, yochelson & samenow out of it! seriously - keeping in mind it's not a private conversation, and the topic is competition - layman's terms of engagement, gentlemen, please... thanks, mods. that sounds like a good idea. could we start with a layman's definition of "psychopath," so we'll all have a basic idea of what we're talking about? i think this excerpt from wikipedia is a pretty good summary: aggressive narcissism glibness/superficial charm grandiose sense of self-worth pathological lying cunning/manipulative lack of remorse or guilt shallow callous/lack of empathy failure to accept responsibility for own actions socially deviant lifestyle need for stimulation/proneness to boredom parasitic lifestyle poor behavioral control promiscuous sexual behavior lack of realistic, long-term goals impulsivity irresponsibility juvenile delinquency early behavior problems revocation of conditional release many short-term marital relationships criminal versatility http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/psychopath these are the guys you don't want your sister (or your widowed mother) to date. the important thing is that those traits don't just describe criminals locked up behind bars, but they also describe "successful" people like top executives & powerful politicians who lack regard for basic honesty, & are good at hiding behind appearances. basically what metamike is saying (if i understand him right) is that those traits show up in people who seem normal on the surface, but, combined all together, they have a destructive effect on a whole society. i have seen wide agreement that this idea is true in the usa. the positive spin we put on "competitiveness" in our culture as being good for business has eventually created a situation where we admire greed & willingness to engage in outright criminality - provided the person is smart enough not to get caught. i've seen trends where this attitude is catching on in other parts of the world, such as the uk. this is the first i've heard about it being widespread in scandinavia. i generally see scandinavia as a culture being more healthy than the usa, based on a number of factors. i think that "healthy competition" can be a good thing, if it helps you bring out your best effort but doesn't ruin your day when you lose. my wife & i enjoy competing at board games like scrabble & monopoly, for example, but we have fun no matter who wins or loses. i suspect we are an exception, at least in the usa. basically, i am really happy to see people taking a look at themselves & asking whether their own competitiveness is a good thing or not. that sets a good example, and i'd like to see a lot of other people follow it. thanks, everyone, for contributing to this thread. paul
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