I remember getting the occasional participation medal for like... Sports things that I was bad at as a kid. After a certain age, the kids doing extra-curriculars were the ones who wanted to be there. This was maybe mid-90s only around grade 1-3? I only really remember feeling condescended to, I don't feel like they occurred frequently enough or in... Earnest enough situations for them to really affect anything.
Yeah, that was my understanding that the "participation trophies" everyone has been so upset about for 40 years were just like for little kids sports things. Like before they can be old enough for any kind of competition to be serious or real - i mean all a 7 year old kid can really do is participate lol
I think the worst thing you can say about them is that they could feel condescending to the kids. I don't think giving little kids something for participating in like a sport is inherently condescending, i think the problem is American culuture.
We had school houses and stuff, which I feel like sorta was intended to train us for in-group out-group dynamics and competition. But I haven't seen those in a while other than in Harry Potter.
(I was actively bad at running, no idea why, probably autism lol)
there were so many times growing up when I thought, "you clearly don't actually care about this, it's so cheaply and perfunctorily made, I can see you having contempt for the people who buy in to it even so and now you're mad at me for not being enthusiastic about it, who is this performance for?"
I remember getting the occasional participation medal for like... Sports things that I was bad at as a kid. After a certain age, the kids doing extra-curriculars were the ones who wanted to be there. This was maybe mid-90s only around grade 1-3? I only really remember feeling condescended to, I don't feel like they occurred frequently enough or in... Earnest enough situations for them to really affect anything.
Yeah, that was my understanding that the "participation trophies" everyone has been so upset about for 40 years were just like for little kids sports things. Like before they can be old enough for any kind of competition to be serious or real - i mean all a 7 year old kid can really do is participate lol
I think the worst thing you can say about them is that they could feel condescending to the kids. I don't think giving little kids something for participating in like a sport is inherently condescending, i think the problem is American culuture.
We had school houses and stuff, which I feel like sorta was intended to train us for in-group out-group dynamics and competition. But I haven't seen those in a while other than in Harry Potter.
(I was actively bad at running, no idea why, probably autism lol)
there were so many times growing up when I thought, "you clearly don't actually care about this, it's so cheaply and perfunctorily made, I can see you having contempt for the people who buy in to it even so and now you're mad at me for not being enthusiastic about it, who is this performance for?"
Parents are weird about their kids