DU POLL: Does competition bring out the best in people?

[RKP5637]

Often it's said competition brings out the best in people. For me, I believe that cooperation brings out the best in people and leads to a greater solution.

I'm just curious what DU thinks.

14 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Competition brings out the best in people.
	3 (21%)
	Cooperation brings out the best in people.
	11 (79%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[brewens]

1. That depends. One of my bosses attempted to buy out our unethical competition. He's

a guy that eventually just narrowly avoided going to prison for ripping off his guys social security. That was a few years later though. Before I was knocked off the job by a blown out knee, I had him on the ropes. I even hired his best guy away from him. I would have had taken him right down to his last shit-stained pair of underwear if I'd had the time!

When he bought that company, a dairy distributor, in the first place, he fired everyone and hired them back at lower wages and benefits. That screwed one of my buddies.

Normally I could be friendly competition and not try and bury someone. That was my first shot at running a sales territory and I was delighted to go up against that guy! The gloves were off right from the start.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

2. It depends on the circumstances and the people (nt)

[noamnety]

3. I voted for cooperation but

I'm excluding group school projects from that category.

[limpyhobbler]

4. maybe in sports

But team sports are really cooperation.

maybe in individual sports

[Skittles]

5. certainly, sometimes it does

I think what makes a difference is the rules of conduct

[cherokeeprogressive]

6. I had to take a pass because it felt to me like the implication is that competition is bad.

I don't think it is. If necessity is the mother of invention, then I believe competition sometimes speeds up the invention process. Of course there should be rules, as there are in sports. Competition normally comes with a risk vs reward component and without that, research, development, and innovation can be hampered.

I have no problem with competition within a guided and regulated endeavor.

[RKP5637]

11. I think you hit the nail squarely on the head. Competition can be beneficial, "within

a guided and regulated endeavor."

[tama]

27. If

necessity is the mother of invention, and invention process needs to speeded up and competition can contribute to that (together with cooperation), then competition is invented by necessity. Now, if needs cooperate, it's a win win, if needs compete, it's a win-lose and lose-lose.

Elementary, Dr. Watson, elementary.

[Nikia]

7. I think that competition can help people do better

It's funny because in college I remember two conversations about competition with different people who looked at competition differently from me.
My track coach told me that I had to go out and crush the competition and rejoice in making them feel bad about their loss.
I was in a gender oriented class in college that was largely discussion based. After one discussion early in the term, two of the women, who I did not know well and began talking to me. They were the president and vice president of the college feminist club and said that they thought that I had good ideas. They thought that I was unsuitable for the club though because being a competitive runner was in conflict with the ideals of cooperation of feminism. (Disclaimer:I consider myself a feminist.)
I think that in both conversation that they both, the coach and the feminists, viewed competition at its worst in a winner takes all game, about kill or be killed, about domination. The sort of competition that I embrace is encouraging each other to strive to do better.

[RKP5637]

13. Yes!!! Your last sentence, same here ... "The sort of competition that I embrace

is encouraging each other to strive to do better."

[freshwest]

8. My competition has always been within, a measure of changing myself. Cooperation with others...

Sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. It depends on the intentions of those involved. Some hold back and drag the other down. When two or more share the same values and goals, it can be a very efficient and enjoyable effort.

[RKP5637]

15. Yes!!! I guess a name for it might be "Cooperative-Competition," which can be

productive and fun for everyone. Often, too many IMO engage in competition like battle, live or die ... and to me that is wholly unproductive competition for all, bringing out survival of the fittest instincts.

[intaglio]

9. Definitely neither

Both can at times bring out "the best" but both can bring out "the worst"

The Best:
Competition - The Moon landings, Mo Farrah, Apple vs the rest of the world

Cooperation - The EEC, Queen, Shackleton's "Endurance" disaster

The Worst:
Competition - Lance Armstrong, Tonya Harding, Nuclear weapons production

Cooperation - The Manson Family, Brady and Hindley, Mao's Revolutionary Guard

[RKP5637]

16. Interesting ... well said!!! n/t

[Mothdust]

10. the BEST in people

Comes out one way or the other, but i think neither is really mutually exclusive of the other because competition involves cooperation and there is still competition while cooperating : )

[tama]

28. My marshal arts master

advises us to find the state where we feel stronger than anybody else, but without need to compete with anyone. Competition gives too much room for thought and chance for the imaginary "adversary" to "win" - as they are being created by thought of competition. Silent and relaxed power of absolute self-confidence is in harmonious cooperation with the whole universe and cannot be defeated.

[Mothdust]

29. that's

Cool ! : )

[annabanana]

12. Competition only brings out the best in good people.

It brings out the worst in bad ones.

[RKP5637]

18. Interesting ... it is relative to the individuals, isn't it ... I worked for a

company once where in R&D separate teams were funded and pitted against each other to develop the best product. In that case often I thought the resources were squandered than unified with common goals. It created a lot of animosity in the company. I also thought it wasted a lot of money ... 50% of your funding was lost, because that product did not make it to market.

[Recursion]

14. That's way too general to answer simply

Societies are complex systems that do not readily admit of simplistic descriptions. Both competition and cooperation play important roles in a healthy society.

[RKP5637]

19. Oh, yep, I definitely agree. In the big picture they are definitely intertwined. n/t

[Aerows]

17. Personally

I think that a mix of both makes for a healthy and productive environment. I'll admit that I have a competitive streak, and it keeps things interesting for me to engage with others who have such a streak. That's not to say that it isn't competition with the spirit of cooperation, it's just that with the right group of people, with the right spirit, it can be very uplifting.

If it becomes nasty, that's when it stops being healthy and harms cooperation. That's why it is important to make sure no one steps over the line. With some people, that is completely possible. With some, it isn't and it quickly turns unproductive which is when it is time to draw the line.

[RKP5637]

20. I'm not bragging, but in school I maintained a 99.8% cumulative

average. Never, would I have done that without some friendly competition from my classmates. It drove me to a grade point average even I could not believe. I agree sooo much, there is good friendly competition and then there is bad evil competition.

[Aerows]

21. Exactly

There is competition that drives the entire group higher, and then there is competition that seeks to destroy it all for one victor.

[RKP5637]

22. It was a very exhilarating experience. We just seemed to click and had fun seeing who could

get the higher scores on exams and it forced us to study in a friendly manner, helping each other to achieve. Often I've thought back about those days in school thinking wouldn't it be wonderful if the world operated that way, helping each other to achieve. So many things in life seem so destructive, it doesn't have to be that way, some people make it that way, so sad.

[jeff47]

23. It depends on the person

Some do best with competition, some do best with cooperation.

[RKP5637]

25. Good point!!! n/t

[Kablooie]

24. Competition does not imply consummation.

But canonization *does* imply consecration.

But that's beside the point.

[RKP5637]

26. Interesting!!! n/t

[RedCappedBandit]

30. It certainly can. Those options are not mutually exclusive, either.

Inadequate poll, but worthy question, imo.

[Great Caesars Ghost]

31. It takes cooperation to eliminate competition

But some on here are too soft to realise this, otherwise we would have had an all progressive government.