I hate popular kids that win "leadership awards"

[gsmax5]

It's so stupid...as if they don't have everything they want already. Sigh, I hoped contests like these would end by the time I got into college; how wrong I was. I hate merit for social things. Sociability rewards itself.

...but what I hate even more is when the spokesperson of the contest says "this is not a popularity contest". There is no bigger lie than that. When was the last time a non-popular kid won one of those?

Loudmouthed bossy control-freak+ Good Grades = LEADERSHIP!!1!!!!!11

 

[PunkRotten]

Yeah it pisses me off too. This kinda thing happens everywhere not just school.

 

[limetree]

lol @ at all the school captain/prefect hyped stress and the smugness which some students subsequently adopted. I know one guy who punched his best friend because he didn't get a badge. D: Competitive environments in general can make some people act like total wankers.

Bunch of hypocrites, the lot of them.. going from timid little year 7s complaining about rigid rules enforced by power hungry martyrs to upholding tradition just so you can suck up on your CV. Good for them if it makes them happy but I really don't care to be a part of any popularity contest.

We had to go on leadership camp and while it was emphasised that leaders can be quietly influential, quiet kids always got nagged at for not participating enough. So what if I don't care about school spirit, I'm against institutionalised schooling anyway. It's called passive resistance

/rant

 

[PunkRotten]

I think anyone could be a leader or certainly be more confident in themselves. The problem is, certain people or kids are in a way, chosen to receive praise always. In school it was all the teachers pets and the PTA kids. Their parents made it where the teachers favored them and gave them privileges. Just about anywhere you go its like this. Its not just like this in schools.

In sports, there were the parents who talked highly of their kid, who had connections to make sure their kid was the star. Again, just about anywhere, theres going to be someone or a group of people who have to have the center of attention and receive all the praise. Its a cutthroat society, and you know that these peopel will step on anyone to make sure they are at the top. And will continue to do so to make sure it stays that way.

 

[redski]

...

Take Obama as an example. He's a great orator, he has charisma, and carries himself with confidence. Some say that he doesn't know what the hell he is doing but he sure behaves like it. Many people still have faith in him.

I beg to differ, my experience is that usually the loud mouthed people that make the most noise are usually
the ones that are no good but people follow them because of everything you just wrote, man as a species
has not learned by now. If one looks at history and historical figures this is a recurring pattern.

I assume everyone knows that the man (Obama) does not write his own speeches.
He has people who do that for him. So in effect he is just an actor, no better then you or I.
More confident perhaps, however that does not make him better as a person.

 

[PunkRotten]

That is the truth! It's called survival. Human parents just like animal parents do whatever it takes to ensure that their offspring has the best chance of survival. Having a daughter myself, I understand what it's like to want your child to succeed and I would do just about anything to make sure that she is successful and happy. If this means I'll have to talk to teachers and make connections and praise my child in front of others, I will do so. I do not blame parents for giving their children an advantage. I wish my parents had done the same for me. My parents didn't give a shit whether I succeeded or not. I respect people who do what it takes to care for their own.
I've already molded her into a very social and fearless child. She walks up to other kids and starts chatting away. She doesn't care that she doesn't know them. She tries more than I ever have and I am proud of her. This will serve her well in the long run. One can only truly understand this if they have kids. Once a person becomes a parent, all sorts of instincts start to come out. Instincts that you never know you had.

Very true and perfectly fine. The only problem I have with parents or adults like this, is they will put down other kids in the process. I dont mind a parent or adult praising a kid, but dont neglect or put down another kid to make the prized kid special. Or to constantly or exclusively priase a certain kid or a group of kids. I grew up like you did too, I wasnt one of the special kids, I was the one they talked bad about and put down and made it harder for me. It definitely makes a huge difference depending how you were treating. Especially growing up, being treated like this either gives you a positive outlook or a negative one. I know some people that still get praised like this even now. So their whole life they are told they are special and treated special and given all the privileges and benefits. Its pure arogance and selfishness.

 

[Argamemnon]

It is mostly the envious and insecure people who have been the least-nice to me. They are precisely the ones who would try to shoot me down when I was up. Truly confident people don't have to stoop to such levels because they do not feel threatend.

My experience is the opposite, people who were insecure have always treated me with respect, whereas the confident jerks always wanted to take advantage of me. Perhaps girls are different, lol.

Truly confident people don't have to stoop to such levels because they do not feel threatend.

That's not always true; there are many confident people who are also jerks. Being confident does not make one a good or righteous person. Being a good person has absolutely nothing to do with confidence (or lack thereof)...

 

[PunkRotten]

I also find that people like this are also narcissistic. Their whole lives they expect to have everything and expect to be the best and receive all the praise. Ive known peopel like this, and if they dont get this they become jealous and conniving. They only want everything for them, and are so selfish they cant ever let anyone have anything. They never learned this, and they treat life like a competition.

 

[Argamemnon]

So insecurity has to do with being a good person?

I didn't say that. I'm a very insecure person and very nice at the same time. I give charity, I'm kind to everyone. I respect all people/ races etc. I have many good qualities.

So I suppose all the envious women

I've come across were actually very confident in themselves. I wonder why it is that they felt threatend enough by me to treat me like dirt?

Well, some people are just full of sh*t, they are jealous etc. it really doesn't make a difference whether they are confident or not. I had one very confident friend who was always jealous when I had higher marks than him at school. And he was extremely extremely confident..

For some reason, nowadays western media tries to portray confident people as righteous human beings who can do no wrong, which can't be further from the truth...

 

[redski]

... Being confident does not make one a good or righteous person. Being a good person has absolutely nothing to do with confidence (or lack thereof)...

Thank you!

 

[Argamemnon]

00000000

Do you think you would lose all these qualities if you were confident?

That's an interesting question. I don't know, I have never been confident. But I don't think so..

Envy and jealousy are natural human emotions. Both confident and insecure people feel these emotions.

True, but I always suppress those negative feelings and always try to be rational. And I don't blame others for my failures.

I know some very succesful people, but I'm not jealous. I do feel sad that my life is quite pathetic, but I know that it has nothing to do with them. After all, nobody said life was going to be fair. And there are people who are much worse off than me.

People who are insecure (even if they act confident) wouldn't want to acknowledge these sorts or emotions because then they would have to come to terms with the fact that they don't really think that highly of themselves in the first place. Why else feel threatend if not due to insecurity?

I don't think it's always about feeling "threatened". Some people always want everything for themselves, and get angry and jealous when they don't get it.

 

[redski]

I don't think it's always about feeling "threatened". Some people always want everything for themselves, and get angry and jealous when they don't get it.

I had a friend like this. I think it is just that they are selfish and possessive.

 

[redski]

I guarantee you that it took more than acting for the man to get where he was. At some point, a person has to prove that they're just more than smooth talkers.... Just so you know, it wasn't my intention to start any political discussion even if I admire Obama.

I still do not believe so. I think it is still what you wrote.
He is a smooth talker, charming, good at dictating speeches.
That can get you very far apparently.

 

[Argamemnon]

I had a friend like this. I think it is just that they are selfish and possessive.

I agree

So it is possible that you would be an exception to the "confident people are mean assholes" rule?

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say. There are confident people who are nice, and those who are assholes. There are insecure people who are nice, and those who are assholes.

Suppressing negative feelings is not healthy. You're supposed to let yourself feel what you feel and deal with it accordingly.

True, I meant thinking rationally...

Of course. One wouldn't be jealous of another's success. One would actually be envious.

I'm not envious either, both jealousy and envy are negative feelings.

 

[Argamemnon]

Doesn't that seem to be the rule? You and others on here don't have a bias against people who are confident?

Well, I can only speak for myself. It seems to me that the opposite is true; the idea that confident people are good and righteous is being promoted all over the internet (and media in general). To be honest, I think most people are worthless, whether they are confident or not. Good people are a minority, but this is just my opinion

Some even say that envy is an unattractive "quality" in a person. lol

I believe it's an unattractive quality. I have kicked people like that out of my life ::

 

[Harleyq]

What I don't like is the emphasis on everyone to "be a leader, not a follower" . Ok, I get it - we all could benefit from having leadership skills. But to teach us that having the skills to be a good follower is bad is damaging, IMO. There can only be so many leaders, and if you're not one of them, you've got to learn to adapt and be a contributing, productive follower. It takes both leaders and followers to get something done and it just bugs the hell out of me that people make you think you're either one or the other, and not a balance of both.

 

[Lea]

Great posts Serafina!

 

[this_portrait]

The only time leadership is a good thing is when a select few people work together to advocate for a cause. At least, that's the only good thing I see about it.

But as for anything else, I secretly would like to punch those jerks and see how great of 'leaders' they are then.

Just another bullsh*t thing where society praises the outgoing social butterflies and undermines everyone else. Go figure.

 

[Noca]

I'm an unpopular leader, people usually choose me to be the leader simply because im usually smarter than everyone in my group.

 

[Erviin]

I hate popular people who are always seeking attention, this one guy at school, I wanna... dont even get me started