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[–] X____sign_here____ ago 

When I was in 7th grade I was forced to play a sport. There are no team sports I like, I don't follow them, I don't even really know the rules to most games. I just have never had interest in them. Also, I'm not big on running around after a ball. I was always the more artistic, chase the girls, play the music, kind of guy.

I picked football because I had friends on the team.

I didn't know the rules (still don't) and no one bothered to teach me - and I didn't bother to learn. I sat on the bench for every game except the few times the coach put me out to get clobbered as cannon fodder. I really had no business being there.

At the end of the season I was given a small trophy, MVP. The other kids that sucked on the team got one as well. Even then I realized it was bullshit. I wasn't valuable to the team. I wasn't a player. I NEVER even touched a game ball. I sat on my ass during games. I sucked at the game and I really didn't care. The trophy was just some shallow gesture. What was the point of giving it to me? Who did they think they were fooling? Did they think I was going to keep it, uncover it from a box in my adulthood, and look back fondly on my time playing football?

I don't remember what happened to the trophy. I don't recall having it at home. I probably just left it there.

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[–] WildThingSammiT [S] ago 

Precisely. It never made sense to me as a child, and it makes no sense now.

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[–] EarthGleaner ago  (edited ago)

That true sense of accomplishment. The only other feeling that even comes close to it is unconditional love.

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[–] greycloud ago 

the establishment doesn't want children to grow up in a healthy environment. consider this, the most detrimental form of child abuse is torture, the next is single motherhood. children are literally better off psychologically if they get verbally, physically, or sexually abused than if they are raised by a single mother (if measured by the long term impacts that they are measured by). how often have you heard the media demonize single motherhood for the major long term consequences it has on children?

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[–] Phuffu 2 points 0 points (+2|-2) ago 

I still have all my trophies from when I played baseball. I got one every year. In 3rd grade I won best sportsmanship because I was the worst on the team. It's ok though, life it what it is. We all think of ourselves as normal, even if we were raised differently from kids 30 years ago we wouldn't know. As a teenager, when an adult tells me that the way they grew up was better I just laugh. I can't possibly know how they were raised and even though they think they know what it's like to grow up in the 2000's they really don't. My generation will go on to do great things just like the ones before us, people are overly worried, it will all work out.

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[–] ironhand00 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago 

An perhaps you believe everything will "work out" for your generation without effort exactly because you were given everything as a child. Doing great things requires effort*. Unless, of coarse, one just redefines what 'Great Things' means.

*Statement does not apply to everyone. Sorry, life isn't fair.

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[–] Phuffu ago 

I find it hard to be so down. I look around my high school and I see a lot of really smart kids, my GPA is in the top 40% or 50% of the class, so it's not like I'm stupid, just average. To be fair I go to a really good public school, but I just don't see how we can fail. People always criticize my generation, but we aren't that bad.

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[–] GoddammitMrNoodle 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

If everyone is a special snowflake then how will the truly exceptional among us be recognized?

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[–] kokakamora 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

The only time my kids got "trophies for everyone" was pee-wee soccer teams. By seven years old and playing club level that was gone. Only the division winners and tournament winners get trophies. One of my kids went three years of soccer with nothing. This was also the same when my kids played rec basketball. Even in a rec league, only the division winners got rewards. So I don't think the whole participation trophy trope is all that prevalent. I'm in middle America suburbia, btw, maybe it's different elsewhere.

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[–] ninjajunkie 0 points 10 points (+10|-0) ago  (edited ago)

Welcome to Self-Awareness OP. It always brightens my day when a new youngin' shows up. It can get lonely here sometimes, but it's a good place to be.