Instead, that kid is supposed to get the message: If you didn’t score a lot of points, no one gives a shit about you. And if that makes you sad, or if you feel that it’s not fair, get used to it. The world is a sad and unfair place. Score more goals next time. This message has always felt at odds, to me, with the equally ubiquitous platitude that children are the future. If children are the future, then why are we so gung ho about preparing them to be treated unfairly?

And that's the crux of it. Misery loves company I suppose, so we should tell kids the world is unfair and should continue to be unfair? All attempts at egalitarianism will someone lead to the collapse of civilization, somehow.

I wonder how global this weird thought process is. It always seemed very American to me-- in line with the bullshit 'the rich are rich because they worked hard and the poor are poor because they're lazy', along with privileged ideas of creating hierarchies where they believe that all peoples shouldn't be treated equally.