Delusions of Grandeur and an Inferiority Complex, simultaneously

May require a subscription and *MAJOR SPOILER IN ARTICLE FOR "MILLION DOLLAR BABY"-read article at your own discretion:

Here I go again--excellent article on the American culture of winning (and where the losers fit into the mix). Very intriguing, and it seems to have partial relevance to my observations that so few of my friends seem to have any compassion for the street panhandlers who in my opinion may truly be so down on their luck that they are below the bar of ever raising themselves up without a helping hand. Where I see a need for an arm, others seem to often feel more arm strengthening exercises are needed so they can somehow miraculously lift themselves up.

Economist.com | Lexington: "All of which creates a huge problem: how exactly should a hyper-competitive society deal with its losers? It is all very well to note that drunkards and slackers get what they deserve. But what about the honest toilers? One way to deal with the problem is to offer people as many second chances as possible. In his intriguing new book �Born Losers: A History of Failure in America� (Harvard), Scott Sandage argues that the mid-19th century saw a redefinition of failure�from something that described a lousy business to something that defined a whole life. "

"The loser now will be later to win"