Sippin' on the haterade

[Patrick Chiang]

Originally Posted by sdcantrell56

Why would you assume that everything is supposed to be "fair" in this competition or life or the real world of engineering. If FIRST is supposed to introduce students to real life engineering then surely it should introduce students to the concept that things are not always totally level. If you want more money or resources go find it.

By your logic: If FIRST is supposed to introduce students to real life engineering, it would require teams to hold tryouts and interviews for team positions.

It doesn't, because its purpose is to maximize the number of people it inspires, and the best way to do that is to have a fair competition with a level playing field. It's like spectating sports: if two teams are somewhat equal in strength, both sides give their best, and the crowd is excited because the winner is a tossup.

By the way, the "life isn't fair" excuse is most often used by elites who are comfortable with their position in society (I'm not implying you guys are ). Pretty much every case of socio-economic injustice and discrimination in the US during the last 30 years or so are linked to the "life isn't fair, deal with it" position.