Societies and cultural groups are presumed to be formed on the basis of common aspects such as language, race, clans and even
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Introduction
Societies and cultural groups are presumed to be formed on the basis of common aspects such as language, race, clans and even skin color. It is noteworthy that in most cases, when one is defining a certain society, he or she is inclined to mention the way of doing things in that culture, language, as well as other aspects that define societies. However, on extremely rare occasions do people examine the pure essence of human beings as the one thing that brings people together. In spite of all clear indications that human beings are driven by rivalry and aggression, rarely have scholars examined these as the driving forces of societies. Of course, it is noteworthy that aggression and rivalry may have a negative connotation or rather give the impression that all human beings are out to harm each other, which may not necessarily be the case. However, one could look at them as competition. Competition is defined as a contest between animals, groups, individuals or organisms for a niche, territory, resources or location and goods, mates and awards as well as for intangibles such as prestige and recognition. It arises in instances where two or more parties strive to achieve a certain goal, which is individually desired and cannot be shared or where the warring parties cannot cooperate upon their object of desire.
Thesis statement: Competition is the driving force in human beings and societies at large.
The notion that competition is the driving force in human beings and societies at large is exemplified in the movie Murderball 2005 and the paper by Clifford Geertz titled “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight.” Murderball 2005 is a hybrid of sports entertainment, narrative, music video and documentary that examines the rivalry between Canadian and United States teams in an international competition. It is noteworthy that Mudderball, which also goes by the name quadriplegic or wheelchair rugby, is a contact and fast-paced sport that was established by quadriplegic athletes. These athletes use indoor courts as their field of play. In this sport, participants, who have varied functional impairments in all their four limbs take on defensive and offensive roles. Murderball 2005 not only examines the lives of the players and their coaches in the pitch but also away from the pitch, including their personal lives.
In Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight, Clifford examines cockfighting among the Balinese. While he shows the implication of this cultural phenomenon, he takes on an interpretative approach that views culture as a collection of texts that are to be read by anthropologists. He goes on to show how this cultural phenomenon serves as a cultural text that it embodies.
The essence of competition in human beings plays out clearly in this article. Clifford states that, as much as cockfighting is illegal in this country it is widespread, as well as highly popular. He notes that the Balinese people detest animals deeply, especially the expression of animal behavior. Nevertheless, they identify deeply with their cocks. He notes that when the Balinese people identify with the cocks, the men are essentially identifying with their ideal selves, their penises, as well as what they most hate and fear. They are thus enthralled by the powers of darkness. It is noteworthy that power is one of the things that drives competition. Human beings compete every now and then for power, therefore, despite the deep hatred that Balinese people have for animals, the power that cockfighting brings them ensures that they love them and even identify with them.
In addition, as much as gambling is a central and a key component of the Balinese cockfight, Clifford argues that the Balinese people are driven by things that are more fundamental than money. These are status and prestige. He goes on to distinguish deep fights that have high wages from shallow fights that often incorporate low wages, whether in terms of prestige or gambling. In deep fights, the results are often unpredictable, and the bets are balanced. In such cases, financial gain ceases to be the center of the phenomenon, while status takes the center stage. The bets are only a symbol of the risk. Clifford notes that the deep play is like artwork that demonstrates an essential insight into the existence of human beings. It is essentially a symbolic, manufactured illustration of something that is extremely real in human beings, and channels rivalry and aggression into an indirect and symbolic engagement sphere.
While Murderball 2005 seems like a mere documentary that follows team USA from an improbable loss during the World Championships, it underlies the rivalry and competition between two coaches. Joe Soares, a former player in the USA team has migrated to Canada and is coaching the Canadian team whereas Team USA is coached by Mark Zupan. It is noteworthy that the brash, cocky and authoritative Joe is seen as a traitor due to his coaching the rival team, thereby pitting him against Mark. Their rivalry plays out throughout the movie as each of them aims at enhancing his power and clout in the Olympics.
One of the most memorable incidences in the movie is the side story that involves Keith Cavell, a nonrugby player who has become paralyzed as a result of a Motorcross accident. The movie traces Cavell right from the time when he tries to go through a rehab and even when he regains an element of normalcy. However, the enormity of his paralyzed condition hits him hard when he is eventually released from the rehab. He acknowledges that things will never be normal ever again, and everything becomes a painful reminder of that fact. His hope ebbs out of him since he thinks that there is nothing to live for until he gets the opportunity to Mark, Murderball’s coach. Cavell’s face brightens as Mark describes the sport since he realizes that his life has only been changed but not terminated. In fact, he gets an entirely new sense of life when he gets the opportunity to try out the modified warrior’s chair, and he desperately feels the need to get out and bang at someone. This new sense of life is, unquestionably, brought about by the thrill of fulfillment that comes with competition.
In conclusion, competition is evidently the driving force in all human beings, as well as societies. This does not have to evolve into aggression or rivalry, both of which have a negative connotation. As much as people may compete for material items, many are times when they compete for intangibles as shown in Murderball 2005 and Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight. These may be just a sense of fulfillment or prestige or status. In both cases, the competition is for status and not necessarily for the money that may come with winning the competition.
Works cited
Clifford Geertz. Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight. Web, 2005. Retrieved 20th/5/2012 from HYPERLINK “http://128.151.57.101/college/psc/clarke/204/Geertz72.pdf”http://128.151.57.101/college/psc/clarke/204/Geertz72.pdf
Murderball 2005. Directors : Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro
