Most people are eager to say that participation medals are stupid

In sports participation metals are stupid but they're the product of our society. Losers aren't meant to be vilified the winners are meant to be acknowledged as the best, that's the whole point, not to be better but to show what the best human in that sport can do.

But humans are self conscious narcissists seeking unobtainable validation.

>>18701312
Just showing up doesn't deserve a trophy of any kind if you ask me. Doing your best but failing anyway might warrant a prize of say, ice cream or pizza, but you shouldn't get anything just for being there.

Coming from an educator, I think losing in sports is actually a very good thing. I actually wouldn't want my team of kids to win every single time, because by losing you get to teach them sportsmanship, perseverance, how to lose gracefully without it completely warping your entire being.

I think it's actually very bad parenting to never teach your kid how to lose, because then when they do have failures in life they will think it's the worst thing ever. If you never allow your child to lose, they won't know how to cope when they do, because the WILL lose something at some point in their life.

That's the problem I see a lot in this generation brought up on participation trophies, they do not know how to handle even slight losses and fall into pits of depression and self hate, even though losing isn't always something to be THAT ashamed of. A lot of 20 somethings these days seem to think they need to be happy 24/7 and if they aren't then there's something wrong with them. I think this kinda participation counts mentality feeds into that. They were ALWAYS validated as children, so as adults they don't know what to do when they aren't ALWAYS validated and genuinely believe there's something wrong with them when they do feel sad or disappointed. When in reality, that's just what normal every day life is.

I see a sort of grey area where there may be a world famous event that some participant may want something to show off thats says they participated in it.
Small town games should not reward in that way

>>18701450
I'm a street runner (those plebeian 5k, 10k, 21k runs) so every street run awards a medal if you finish, but I don't even hang them or anything. I keep in a box so I know which races I did.

Thing is, I know it's too late to make a serious effort to become a track and field athlete, and yet I give my best during training to improve, and I know I won't ever run a 16 minute 5k or a under 4 minutes 1500m, but I'll always try to improve myself through sacrifice and training. I am aware the current teenagers are looking for social acceptance (and stuff to selfie with) and medals work perfectly on that matter, but don't you think effort should be recognized?

>>18701312

Here is the thing I'll never admit in person.

I made a film that got into a competition. I got to the first round of selections. I didn't make it to the final round.

I got a certificate congratulating me. It felt cheesy, but getting that gave me the feeling of winning, and in all honesty, made me want to work harder for that glory.

Maybe I'm a libcuck, but I get why it might be a good thing.

>>18701312
>But what if you make a constant effort to improve yourself, even though you won't be the very best?
Then you get the improvement.

The idea was that 'anyone could.' Back before we pussified society, anyone could; could go out and do things, could go out and train, could pick up a skill, could beat their flaws out of themselves.

But not anymore. Now, people think life is special and individual and fluffy. That life owes them candy and they're snowflakes... not a one of whom is responsible for any blizzards we might hear of.

If you make a constant effort to better yourself, it won't likely just be because you want to slay pussy or have a shiny medal. There's usually a powerful motivator; most people who achieve success aren't just there because they picked it up one day and decided, 'why not.' Even for people who 'get lucky' and manage to get where they want, it's because they have a passion for it, and challenge themselves with it. When they're training, when they're playing. They're constantly involving it in their lives.

The problem then is that participation trophies suggest a commonality between participation and passion that does not exist. It seems unfair that people are gaining that recognition then, when others do put in the hard work, passion and energy, time and sacrifices to get where they go.

I'm just saying if you set the bar that low, you won't be resetting it half as easily.

As a more direct answer, any effort for betterment is admirable and should be considered for its own individual gains rather than its proximity to superficial results.