A couple weeks back Klejdys passed along this feature piece in The Atlantic having to do with the economy and unemployment. It’s a solid read if you’ve got the time. The following passage though really caught my attention because it perfectly crystallizes a psychological trend in the people I grew up with.
"Trained throughout childhood to disconnect performance from reward, and told repeatedly that they are destined for great things, many are quick to place blame elsewhere when something goes wrong, and inclined to believe that bad situations will sort themselves out–or will be sorted out by parents or other helpers."
What he’s saying is that the majority of people from my generation — the people a couple years away from entering the workforce, the people who have recently entered the work force, and everyone in-between — have been given too many gold stars all their lives and because of this, among other things, they’ve lost the ability to identify their real gifts and talents. Beyond that, when shit hits the fan we don’t know what to do. We don’t have that starving wolf mentality but we’re quite sure a herd of sheep will stroll by soon and when they do, we’re supremely confident we can take one down. And that type of disposition is obviously foolish for people trying to make their bones in this insanely competitive working world.
I’m not sure how many undeserved gold stars I’ve personally collected over the years compared to my peers. Maybe more, maybe less, probably somewhere around the average though. I don’t want to speak for others, I have no idea if they feel the same, but internally I carry a lot of self doubt. How much that has to do with my having been rewarded undeservedly, I’m not sure. I scored in the 99th percentile on the SATS but over a hundred people in my high school graduating class finished with a higher class rank than I. Based partly on the latter, I constantly question my intelligence, inside. But outside, it’s totally different. If you and I were to have a personal conversation over sushi, I’d confidently say, if asked, that, yes, I’m smart and very sure that one day I’ll reach my dreams. And I’d believe it too before, during, and after the words left my mouth.
How strong the people of my generation are internally is debatable. Our ability to create and walk through the physical world in our confident, sanguine avatar is not. If there’s one thing my generation and I are experts on, it’s swagger. We are inarguably more self-assured, even cocky, than any generation that preceded us.
There’s no smooth way to transition into this so I’ll just go ahead and say it. The Sabres need more swagger. Ask any thoughtful, 20-something Sabres fan. A little swagger goes a long way. The goals for are more deflating to an opponent and the goals against are easier to overcome. Momentum is more likely to swing in your favor and heavily so.
Football is built on swagger. Actually, there’s way too much of it in the NFL and the sportsmanship of hockey is refreshing; but as a fan, I’d love to see the Sabres act the part of the protagonist a bit more. Please, Sabres, act like you really believe that you can really take down any team in this league. Don’t just say you can, but show observers that you’re buying into your own words.
Pat Kaleta is not without swagger. It shows it his actions. He never backs down. He’ll hit anyone — get in anyone’s face. His opponents probably think he’s a total dick. Who cares, own it Pat, don’t ever back down. You wear the Sabres’ colors. Brush that dirt off your shoulders.
You know who else has some swagger? Derek Roy. The problem is that his linemates show barely any emotion on the frozen water. It puts a strain on his relationship with the fans when they see him interact with players like Vanek and Pominville. He needs a side kick. Once upon a time Afinogenov filled that role nicely. We liked Derek Roy a lot more back then didn’t we?
This is going back a little bit but it’s worth mentioning. I remember after Joe Corvo had scored the winner for Ottawa in game 2 of the ’07 conference finals he said something along the lines of we just want it more than them. That infuriated me as a Sabres fan. Not because it was true. It was actually a totally ridiculous thing to say considering the Sens won the game in double overtime. I hated it because considering the circumstances, it was a really demoralizing statement. On one hand the Sabres could get pissed and rally; the Sens could fail to live up to the pressure of Corvo’s statement. On the other hand the Sabres could fail to match the confident Sens’ intensity; the Sens could rise up to the challenge and become extra motivated by what one of their teammates said. I hated it because the Sens held the dice not the Sabres. They were going to win or loose on their terms. Corvo was trying to help their chances even though odds were already on the Sens side.
At that moment, it was a really crushing comment. The Sabres could have made him eat those words and if they had Corvo would have looked like an all time clown. That obviously was unlikely though because, well, scoreboard. The Sens had a commanding lead in the series heading back to Ottawa and Corvo’s words made them almost impossible to beat once they became a matter of public information. It seemed like they hung over the Sabres like a dark rain cloud. Confidence and momentum was heavily in the Sens favor.
I want the Sabres to get emotional in the way Corvo had after that game. Let your guard down, Sabres. C’mon, J-Pom; allow your personality find that baller status and make the 20-somethings recognize it. Don’t be so diplomatic all the time. Tim Connolly, instead of looking like an uninterested mouth breather, be boss while you’re out on the ice. And to the Sabres collectively, when you score, don’t glide slowly towards one another. Get in each other’s faces and say hell fucking yes; these guys can’t handle us. Let’s just keep bringing the heat. Say something beyond what appears to be a quick nice job. Enjoy your triumphs.
Quit being so preoccupied with etiquette and manners and take a drink from the Luda , Kanye , et cetera goblet of swagger.