More Than Winning

to the editor:

there was a vignette on last saturday's "this american life" on npr that dealt with exactly this issue ("remember the golden rule," oct. 1). the commentator talked about the prevalence of contestants on reality tv shows that use the phrase, "i didn't come here to make friends. i came here to win," as a way to justify their crappy behavior. he acknowledged that the editors of these shows salivate over such comments since "nice doesn't sell."

how sad. i still fully believe that we need to remind our kids that winning is short term and they ought to be in this for the long haul. winning doesn't mean much if everyone else hates you. being nice isn't a recipe for instant gratification most of the time, but at least you can live with yourself while you wait for your karmic rewards.

kario driscoll upper east side