It seems part of being male to be competitive, to try to stand out, to win, to defeat others. Walter Ong, a Jesuit scholar, in his insightful "Fighting for Life", discusses this basic characteristic. If you think you know some men who are not competitive, you have probably overlooked some aspect of their lives. Are they champion furniture restorers? Do they know the football stats better than their friends do?
I used to think that competitiveness stays out of the lives of women but the more I watch, the more I doubt that it does. Which Grandma gives out the best cookies? Which young woman has the most boys vying for her attention? Who is the loving-est, most sensitive, best groomed?
We are in a contentious age, one where public and political partisanship and polarity are easy to find. The presence of the internet, with its invitation for any and all to comment on any and all subjects, controversies and questions, makes verbal put-downs and insults easy. The structure of the internet makes it easy to see what comments, what good and not-so-good manners are out there.
Besides the individual and personal contributions on the internet, the professional and semi-professional media are amplifiers of controversy. In the year and a half before a presidential election with a large number of candidates, there is a spirit of energy and speed to out-comment, out-do, and out-audacious everybody else. I think these conditions make it easier than usual to underestimate the value of clever cooperation.
Time magazine has a current cover depicting George Bush and Bill Clinton. The story includes pictures of the two men in a golf cart and also pictures of George W and Clinton in a public event of some kind, shaking hands with the crowd. I know that many people are repelled by bickering and backbiting. It is difficult to be attracted to that sort of thing but I wouldn't be surprised if we see more evidence of friendliness, or at least respect, as the value of that sort of atmosphere shows itself.
