Micro Competitions

I have noticed another side effect of capitalism — micro competitions in our daily lives, especially in our communications. Far too often people use a judgmental tone as they ask, “Why are you doing it that way?” rather than saying something such as, “That’s interesting. How come you do it that way?” using an inquisitive tone. I think we have been conditioned to choose competition over cooperation, to prove we are the best, or at least above the person or people we are talking to at the moment. Think of our current “fearless” leader for example. This type of behavior erodes kindness and curiosity. Just like micro aggressions these micro competitions have a cumulative effect. They slowly become the norm teaching us that it is acceptable to put other people down when they think, believe, dress, or even cook differently than we do. Back in the 60s and 70s schoolchildren were taught that unlike England and India the United States doesn’t have a class system. We ate that up the same way we swallowed the stories of the pilgrims being kind to the indigenous people of what would become America. We slurped whatever they fed us right off the spoon. We have been trained to voraciously consume goods and to harshly judge others. May I suggest a new diet of micro corrections. Buy less. Be curious. Learn a little. Love a lot.

Cinse Bonino
2025