Yes and no, it's important to teach kids that losing doesn't mean you've wasted you're time, and that it was for nothing. It's important to learn that failure is a catalyst for learning, and not for sulking. Maybe it shouldn't be in the form of a participation trophy, but the idea should be the same.
@dailydoseofmusic losing, or rather simply not being THE winner isn't for nothing; it gains you experience and, hopefully, a little wisdom to do better next time. ANY reward for not "winning" is only a detriment to the child. There are no trophies or ribbons for simply showing up in life. This is not necessarily to be blamed on you children; it was your parents who did you a disservice by not allowing you to learn how to deal with disappointment and to grow from the experience. What this sort of upbringing creates is the very immaturity that makes millennials think they should be given $15 an hour or more for flipping burgers. This upbringing creates the children i have to deal with as a manager who think they should be able to simply show up to work and not have to put forth any effort. They then get pissed because they've been on the job for 3 months and haven't had a raise or been promoted.
This is also the sort if upbringing that creates precious little snowflakes that think every single opinion that isn't the same as theirs us sine sort of micro aggression from which they need a safe space and counseling.
As I said, this ISN'T about you. This sort of upbringing also creates kids that think every complaint about the failure of society and the education system is a direct insult to them.
The problem is your parents and teachers, but you need to learn to accept that the real world isn't as you were led to believe.
Were not necessarily arguing here, I even said that it doesn't have to be in the form of a trophy. Just the idea to teach kids that losing isn't the end of the world is important. Chill man, and that's beside the fact that as a new Yorker I do completely understand why $15 an hour is reasonable. I made $14 an hour when I moved here at first and that was barely enough for me to afford living in a crappy two bed room basement that I shared with three other dudes. There's nothing wrong with asking to get enough compensation so one can actually live decently.
@dailydoseofmusic my comments were directed at readers in general; not necessarily at you directly. Like I said, you snowflakes take everything personally!
Jk dude, don't go running for your safe space! Lmao!
Anyway, like I said the blame for this problem with your generation (I assume you belong to one of the generations in question. Sorry if you don't) can be laid directly at the feet of your parents and teachers. You are not to blame for how you have been failed by those who should have been preparing you for life. But the problem here is that many of these snowflakes cannot understand that they have been screwed over by the way they were raised. These "criticisms" of the last few generations are actually indictments of your parents, teachers, etc. Simply pointing out that you were not raised well (in this particular regard) is not a personal attack, at least by most people.
As to your wage issues; wages are set by the market. This is something else that should be simple to understand, but the past two or three generations were not taught to be able to understand simple economics. Look, if people will take a job for $10 an hour, they will get jobs at $10 an hour. If businesses cannot hire anyone for less than $20 that then becomes the prevailing wage. What you seem to not understand is that businesses need to make more than they spend. A business is no different than you as an individual. If the prevailing wage goes up, for whatever reason, the price of their product must also go up. When the prices of products go up, wages do not go as far as they used to. And on and on. Wages and prices eventually reach an equilibrium and that's where you are. Furthermore, jobs that only pay minimum wage or local prevailing wages are ENTRY-LEVEL JOBS. We all have to start somewhere and work our asses off to make something of our lives.
McDonald's is not a career for most people. You start out with the job and wage you can find and work until you prove you are worth more. You need to have experience to get a better job; that's what these jobs we're talking about are. Sure, sometimes you work your way up the ladder and get knocked down and have to start over at minimum wage. That's life. Shit happens. And it happens to all of us, snowflake. We have to do what we have to do, even if that means moving back home for awhile or living with roommates. Sometimes you might even have to move to find better pay or cheaper rent.
I should add - just so you understand I'm not just an asshole blowing smoke - I am over 40, I have worked my ass off in minimum wage jobs and had to make cuts or take multiple jobs to make ends meet. I have worked my way up the corporate ladder and been knocked on my ass several times, and had to start over with whatever shitty minimum wage jobs I could find. I have been at both ends of success and have lived through it (so far). What I'm trying to say here is that I know what I'm talking about from personal experience.
Gotta be honest I'm surprised someone, your age is using a site like this, not as a bad thing. Second off I work for Barclays in Manhattan doing business intelligence analytics so I understand the differences between a competitive market and noncompetitive. The way I see it is companies like McDonald's or Walmart, can definitely afford to give their employees higher wages, if higher ups take a small percentage pay cut. Even a 2% paycut from their massive salaries not including stock options, should do enough to give a significant salary boost to employees that work in locations that are more expensive, like NYC. Also I believe every parent has a different way on how they want to raise children, if some choose to do it in a way that you don't agree with, it doesn't make it wrong.
Hey my motto is "If you don't grow up, you don't grow old!"
And yeah, every business in the world (short of tiny little mom n pop's with only a couple employees, obviously) could pay more at the bottom and still remain solvent, if they paid less at the top. But guess what? That's not the way it works. If the CEO isn't going to make bank for all the bullshit and headaches he has to endure why in hell would he ever want a promotion?
SOMEONE has to be in charge and put their neck on the line when the owner or board don't see results. And upper management is just like the schlubs on the grill line or sales counter; they want to make as much as they can for the work they do. Would you happily take a pay cut just so the newbie custodian can make as much as they think they should? I'd guess not. The upper level employees making more than you should give you a goal to work toward.
And yes, I'd probably be the first to argue that every parent has the right to raise their spawn as they see fit, but there is a line between good parenting and failure. Liberalism has created generations of fragile flowers that cannot take care of themselves, cannot deal with ANY adversity whatsoever, and cannot understand why things in real life are not as they were taught they would be. When children are shielded from any disappointment or "unfairness" they cannot grow and develop the intellectual and emotional skills necessary to weather such events when they invariably occur.
If someone from my generation, for instance, loses a contest we'll say "Yeah but I'll beat your ass next time!" If someone from one of the last few generations loses something they throw a temper tantrum (seen any riots lately?) and run for cover screaming "You're unfair! You're a racist!"
I just wish that the people older than us didn't throw them in our face blaming the participation trophies for our empathy for others and our being upset with this election. They didn't do that when they protested Obama.
It ain't the trophies themselves, it's the mentality.
Many older people believe that the "special snowflake" mentality is responsible for a lack of discipline, respect, and appreciation.
Oh no, adults were trying to make you feel good about yourself. Those monsters! Honestly, rants like this are what gets our generation the label of "entitled". Is this really the biggest think you have to complain about?
This post makes an excellent point: I should be disappointed in the parents who shielded you from all sadness, disappointment, struggle or lack of appreciation for your effort. However, now that you realize this, I also hold you accountable for changing or not changing. Either grow or wither, battle and succeed or battle and fail only to try again, or don't battle at all...or give up the first time things get tough or don't go your way. Now that you *know* you were coddled, break free of that golden cage. Or don't, but don't expect me to respect you the same way I do the people who don't make the excuse that "I have to give up because stuff is harder for me since I was always given my way before."
Does anybody see the irony? The big complaints about the "Participation Trophy" generation are that they cry when criticized, and always blame someone/something else for their faults or troubles without trying to correct them. This post is a big crying jag at the criticism of anyone who says anything about them, and blames their parents, teachers and society.
When my kids were small, I shielded them completely. When they started school, I gave them enough rope to make small mistakes, and also helped them figure out how to cope with the consequences. As they got to high school I took on more of an advisor role, and helped them avoid big mistakes, but for the most part they applied the lessons from the small things earlier to see how the world works when the stakes are higher. When they went to college, I mostly didn't have to worry that I was releasing an 18 year old idiot into the wild. I still worry, of course, but not that one will have a problem & just sit and cry.
As I said, this ISN'T about you. This sort of upbringing also creates kids that think every complaint about the failure of society and the education system is a direct insult to them.
The problem is your parents and teachers, but you need to learn to accept that the real world isn't as you were led to believe.
Jk dude, don't go running for your safe space! Lmao!
Anyway, like I said the blame for this problem with your generation (I assume you belong to one of the generations in question. Sorry if you don't) can be laid directly at the feet of your parents and teachers. You are not to blame for how you have been failed by those who should have been preparing you for life. But the problem here is that many of these snowflakes cannot understand that they have been screwed over by the way they were raised. These "criticisms" of the last few generations are actually indictments of your parents, teachers, etc. Simply pointing out that you were not raised well (in this particular regard) is not a personal attack, at least by most people.
And yeah, every business in the world (short of tiny little mom n pop's with only a couple employees, obviously) could pay more at the bottom and still remain solvent, if they paid less at the top. But guess what? That's not the way it works. If the CEO isn't going to make bank for all the bullshit and headaches he has to endure why in hell would he ever want a promotion?
SOMEONE has to be in charge and put their neck on the line when the owner or board don't see results. And upper management is just like the schlubs on the grill line or sales counter; they want to make as much as they can for the work they do. Would you happily take a pay cut just so the newbie custodian can make as much as they think they should? I'd guess not. The upper level employees making more than you should give you a goal to work toward.
If someone from my generation, for instance, loses a contest we'll say "Yeah but I'll beat your ass next time!" If someone from one of the last few generations loses something they throw a temper tantrum (seen any riots lately?) and run for cover screaming "You're unfair! You're a racist!"
Many older people believe that the "special snowflake" mentality is responsible for a lack of discipline, respect, and appreciation.
Hey, it worked with me when I was little
When my kids were small, I shielded them completely. When they started school, I gave them enough rope to make small mistakes, and also helped them figure out how to cope with the consequences. As they got to high school I took on more of an advisor role, and helped them avoid big mistakes, but for the most part they applied the lessons from the small things earlier to see how the world works when the stakes are higher. When they went to college, I mostly didn't have to worry that I was releasing an 18 year old idiot into the wild. I still worry, of course, but not that one will have a problem & just sit and cry.
Looks like SOMEbody missed his nap. ;)