This past weekend I attended a gymnastics meet in which my daughter was competing.  Watching the numerous gymnasts perform routines on the floor, bars, beam, and vault was impressive and enjoyable.  Of course, some routines were better than others; it was a competition, a chance to determine who was the best.  After all routines were complete and scores were tallied, the winners were announced by age category. . .with some going to the 16th place.  16th place?  How is that a rank worthy of recognizing?

The all important need to recognize each and every individual in a contest has been growing for years.  While I appreciate that we need to consider self-esteem, I wonder how do children learn to lose.  In life, there are winners and losers.  I have had my share of losses, but from each one I have learned and grown.  So, why don’t we want to teach that to children?

I see this “everybody wins” line of thinking in the world of publishing also.  Quite often I receive offers to write product reviews.  Of course, these aren’t product reviews; they are requests to write a glowing review of a product in return for a payment.  The product’s company receives good press (win), and the publishing company receives money (win).  However, is that really a win for the reader?  So, the policy at Wasabi Media Group is to write only honest reviews.  We don’t accept payments, though we will accept a free sample with the understanding that we will write a review that reflects the quality of the product, which means not all companies want our reviews.

In the world of WMG, there are reviews that are positive, such as this movie review, and  there are reviews that are less than positive, such as the review of this movie.  Although both reviews are not wins for the movie itself, they are wins for our readers who receive objective appraisals.

Everyone and everything cannot be a winner.  So, maybe it is best to be honest about this, learn what makes something be a winner, and make improvements from there.