Quote:
Originally Posted by AdamHeard
The song is fine.... If it wasn't I'm sure Dean Kamen, Woodie Flowers, or Dave Lavery would've put an end to it a long time ago.
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Dang. And I was SO hoping to stay out of this whole tempest in a teapot. But since my name was brought up, I will make only two points:
1 - There is absolutely no inconsistency between the song "We Are The Champions" (and by that, I mean the ENTIRE song, including all the lyrics) and the concept of Gracious Professionalism. There is no need to "acknowledge that the song is in conflict with the ideals of gracious professionalism, and ..." because the conflict just does not exist. And the choice of the song certainly does NOT "put the lie to the entire concept of gracious professionalism."
To me, the song is one of triumph and celebration, of recognizing a job well done, of superior performance, and of acknowledgment of a fierce competition. There are no implicit put-downs of the other competitors and no denigration of anyone else’s efforts. Read the lyrics from the standpoint of someone talking/singing about themselves and their own team. Read every word as it applies to that team, and see if you understand how this is so. When I read the line "no time for losers" and apply it to myself, it becomes my own statement about how I refuse to succumb to the forces that are trying to prevent me from succeeding. "No time for losers" means that
_I_ have no time to be a "loser" and that
_I_ will not give in to those pressures. It has absolutely nothing to do with how I look upon my competitors or a form of condescension. It is all about introspection and how I look at myself (which then, at an entirely different level, does become a factor in how I do treat my competitors, but let's keep it simple and not get into the meta-effects for right now).
As Sean Witte said so very well earlier, "not winning is different than being a loser." There are a lot of teams that may not "win" a FRC competition. But very, very few of them are "losers" by almost any measure that you choose to use. And I would submit that the corollary is also true - "winning is different than being a champion." I can win a competition a lot of different ways, through hard work, intense effort, etc. But I can also "win" a competition through the use of unethical behavior, working outside the rules, cheating, etc. (are you listening, Barry Bonds?). Tell me someone is a "winner" and I know nothing of HOW they "won" a competition. Tell me someone is a "champion" and I know they compete while doing their very best, with honest values, integrity, respect, fierce determination, and dignity. It is very easy to be a "winner" and a "loser" at the same time. But it is almost impossible to be a "champion" and a "loser." The song celebrates those that are "champions." And I believe that is entirely in line with the very best interpretation of Gracious Professionalism.
2 - It is the end of the summer. The academic year is about to begin (and in some cases, has started already), and with it the preparations will begin for a new FRC season. There are new team members to recruit, new teams to create, new sponsors to find, new corporate executives to brainwash, new grants to write, new mentors to indoctrinate, and new technologies to develop. All of this must be done before the formal kick-off in January. So don't we all have something better and more productive to discuss?
-dave