What Happens to Cooperative People in a Competitive Society?

An op-ed by Jorge Castañeda earlier this week in the LA Times made some unusual assertions about Mexico. He argued that, as a people, Mexicans are averse to competition. I have no means whatsoever of assessing the veracity of his claim, and even if I did, I would be reluctant to buy into an idea that's not much more than a national stereotype fueled by speculative anecdotal evidence. But the idea that people can be more or less competitive is an important point to settle on.

We live in a capitalist society, one in which from the earliest of ages we are taught how to compete with others. In school, we compete to see who can be top of the class, and in sports, we compete to see who can be the best athlete. The fact that every kid gets a trophy in under-8 soccer leagues doesn't fool anyone. The kids all know who is better and who is worse, and they all want to be the best.

This competition takes on a more serious flavor by high school where the competition to be the soccer team captain of the trumpet section leader has the added importance of helping one get into college. And in the classroom, students know that no matter how well they do, grades are assigned in relative terms. No teacher will ever give everyone in a class an A. But the stakes only keep getting more severe.

In the workforce, adults are forced to compete for promotions, to see who can make the boss like them the best, and to see who can demonstrate the hardest work ethic. Informally, they compete to have the biggest house, the nicest car, the prettiest yard, the nicest artwork, or the best multimedia system.

But what if you just don't like competing? What if the very idea of competition is off-putting to you? What if you would prefer to engage in cooperation rather than competition. Well, then you're out of luck. Everything in our society is designed in such a way as to benefit those who are competitive rather than those who are cooperative.

In business, the most cutthroat CEO will be rewarded with the highest bonuses. The student who doesn't help others understand the material may well graduate first in his class. Of course, someone may suggest that group projects in both school and the office place are essential parts of the environment and are cooperative. This is not wrong, but doesn't the standout person from the group receive the most benefit from the group's success?

What is needed is some substantial sub-section of society that rewards cooperation over competition, that helps those who disdain competitiveness or find it unpalatable find someplace in society where they are not forced to engage in such competition. There are, of course, communes, but these are extreme examples that are not suited to people who prefer to live in a less competitive environment but are not ready to do so to the fullest extent. Additionally, communes are tarred with pejorative language that attempts to prejudice everyone against the idea that cooperation is a viable alternative to competition.

Because capitalism, which relies primarily on competition, is the economic system of our society, people who prefer not to be competitive are stuck living in a system that works against them. Some discussion must be lent to the idea of alternative means of structuring society that do not abolish capitalism altogether, yet allow for the less competitive to achieve great things.