A Race to the Bottom
Our children are ready to race. They have their running shoes on and water bottles in hand, eager to win and take the crown.
A will to not just complete but win has always been rightfully celebrated in this country—it's the backbone of our progress. American iInnovation stems from striving to be winners in our fields. But lately, the races to “victory” have taken odd turns. A complete 180 degree turn as the athletes seem to be heading in the wrong direction. In fact, not a single one has taken a step toward the finish line.
We are breeding a new type of American. One raised on different fables of glory. I recall being read the story of the tortoise and the hare as a child, where the slow and steady tortoise faces off against the speedy hare. The lesson was clear: work hard and you will be rewarded. However, today, the fable lives on, but with a modern twist and a new moral.
In the modern version, the story has a striking change. The tortoise is still there, but now there are multiple hares. The tortoise’s chances of winning—which were slim to begin with—now seem impossible. After all, how could a slow tortoise ever hope to beat several hares? But yet he does…or does he?
Indulge me in retelling this updated classic. It starts just like the original…
“BANG!” The owl judge's hand recoils as gun powder floats in the air, the race has begun!
The tortoise lumbers forward with all his might, inching ahead. But sadly no one even notices his start. No picture to be had, not even a cheer because all of the spectators’ attention is elsewhere, focused on the real action at the starting gate where not one of the hares has moved a hop.
The hares are still at the starting gate clearly agitated. One hare is even facing in the opposite direction, arms crossed. Things do not seem right.
The owl judges, concerned, approach the backward-facing hare. “Is everything alright?” they ask. “Why are you not racing?”
“No, everything is not alright” shot back the hare. “I protest this race. I should not, and will not, participate. My ancestors once hopped these fields for centuries. As this race is on their land, I’m owed the prize. I should be the automatic winner.”
“Oh, I see!” says one of the owl judges, nodding sympathetically. “That’s a valid point. Your ancestors played an important role here. We’ll have to discuss this further at the judges’ huddle.”
But before the owls can begin their discussion, another hare cries out: “No! I should be the winner. My ancestors were brought to these fields by a pet breeder. Ever since, we spotted-haired hares have faced bias as not indigenous to this land. I deserve to win for the pain and suffering of all spotted-haired hares! we are never given a fair shake in life.”
The judges exchange worried glances. Both hares have valid claims. Both have experienced real trauma and pain. But before they can respond, yet another hare limps over.
“I was born without a leg and cannot run at all. This race is unfair and exclusionary. It should be abolished. I demand the crown due to the harm caused by excluding me from these games.”
Now the judges are truly stumped. Who should be given the prize? There are so many deserving participants. How could they possibly choose?
As the judges walk back to their booth to deliberate, a young hare from the crowd shouts, “Look!” Everyone turns to see the tortoise, inching across the finish line, one small step at a time. The crowd falls silent, jaws hanging open in shock. The tortoise, out of breath, asks, “Who won?” completely unaware of the chaos unfolding in front of him.
“I won!” each hare shouts in his direction jumping over themselves, before quickly turning their attention back to the judges.
“The tortoise cheated!” two hares exclaim in exasperation.
Suddenly, a flood of protests follows:
“The rules weren’t clear before the race started—this race should be disqualified!”
“I didn’t hear the starting gun! I have hearing loss, and that’s on my accommodations sheet—this race should not count!”
“The weather was poor—and that affects the hares’ long legs. Tortoises don’t have that problem. They had an unfair advantage and should be disqualified!”
The owl judges are overwhelmed by the chorus of complaints. But sadly unlike the original fable, where the timeless lesson of hard work and perseverance is honored with the tortoise’s victory, this story doesn’t end like that.
Instead of crowning the tortoise, the owls announce they will launch an “investigation.” Weeks will pass, with consultants brought in—zebras, wolves, snakes, and more—spending all the animal kingdom’s tax dollars. Endless hours and days will pass with no victor and at some point they will come out of their huddle after everyone has left and moved on to other contentious races and announce that everyone wins.
Crowns for everyone.
This is the experience of our youth today: a race to the bottom where oddly they will be rewarded for those efforts. Not only have we created a culture of mediocrity and entitlement, but the adults—the so-called "wise owls"—are enabling it.
It seems we’ve forgotten what America is made of and what we stand for. Where is the value of hard work, resilience, and perseverance in today’s youth? The can-do spirit that built this country has been replaced with a culture more focused on grievance and victimhood.
We need to bring back the lessons of the tortoise. The tortoise didn’t look to his past, nor did he focus on what he lacked. He simply put one foot in front of the other, knowing the only way to succeed was to try. His victory wasn’t handed to him because of hardship, nor was it questioned for failing to accommodate others. He earned it. Yet here we are, surrounded by the opposite mindset. Instead of being taught that hard work leads to achievement, students are racing toward victimhood, eager to outdo one another in their claims of oppression. And what’s worse is that those in charge—the judges, the educators, and the policymakers—are validating this behavior.
We, Americans, have a problem. We’ve created a generation that no longer asks, "What can I do to contribute to society?" Instead, they ask, "What can society do for me?" This race to the bottom, has only one possible outcome: stagnation.
No nation moves forward when its people refuse to even move.
Instead of fostering this spirit of resilience, we have raised a generation laser-focused on their identity—whether it be race, gender, or past injustice—without realizing the cost of this obsession. They are in a race, yes, but it’s a race to the bottom if that’s all that defines them.
As a nation, we must reclaim what has been lost: the belief in merit, the value of hard work, and the idea that success is earned, not handed over—and can be anyone’s (even a tortoise’s). Let’s remind our students of that.
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