Competition

Returning to the subject of mimetic desire and the literary theories of Rene Girard, I had a thought today that all of the attention paid to the scapegoating aspect of Girard’s theory is a big waste of time. The more valuable area of focus on is Girard’s view of competition.

To recap, Girard’s basic argument is that most of our desires in life are borrowed and counterfeit. We don’t really want what we say we want, we want what other people desire. We absorb from the culture things that confer status and acceptance, such as a certain job, more money, an especially attractive romantic partner, etc. And because of these common wants and standards, we end up in a state of constant competition. For example, we wish to attain a certain role in our work, but to get there, we are forced to compete with others for that role, people who we otherwise would never consider a rival. Girard then takes the step of saying these fierce competitions lead to violence and the creation of a scapegoat to blame for the effects of the pitched conflict.

But put aside that scapegoat — maybe the real problem is the competition. Maybe our response to being placed in these kinds of positions should be to refuse to compete. As much as our culture wants to create contests out of everything — they’ve even turned dating into a blood sport — we have the option of refusal.

As a speechwriter, I have seen so many of the people I’ve worked for through the years end up in completely pointless rivalries simply because they can’t stop the ridiculous competitions. Even achieving positions they’ve dreamed of for years isn’t enough — next they have to prove they are better than others who held the same role or they deserved more credit for something that happened during their time in leadership. In almost all cases, these competitions benefit no one, they do not lead to actions that make organizations better. In fact, they become a terrible distraction that keeps organizations from focusing on strategic initiatives — leaders feel obliged to put their time and effort into thing that they believe will demonstrate their ultimate worth and superiority.

It isn’t enough for cultures to have sports and to worship these athletic competitions — we have to turn every other aspect of life into sports as well. And so, in a truly Montaigne-like spirit, I believe it’s vital for people to reject frivolous competition whenever possible and when faced with one, consider whether you really desire the thing you’re competing for, or you just harbor some insecure need to win.