John Darns worked hard all his football season for his trophy; he attended every practice, went above and beyond the required off-season training, and always left the field knowing he had left everything he owned there. With grass stains on his shorts and bloody scratches on his knees, he was finally rewarded with the championship trophy, this magnificent two-foot-tall golden trophy with a man on top hitting what would be a perfect goal. Yes, he did wear that orange tiger on his jersey; he really deserved this trophy. Yet just a few feet away are the Black Hawks, the team that lost every game the entire season and won a nearly identical trophy for being in the league. They didn't work as hard: they trained half as hard as John's team, and they are rewarded almost the same to make sure everyone feels like a winner. The concept that every child deserves a blue ribbon or trophy for doing their best blights millennials every day of their young lives. The principle that underpins our entire society is that if you work hard, you will be rewarded fairly, this principle is considered the framework of the American dream. Century History Review author Tony McCulloch spoke of the American Dream as follows: "All American citizens should be able to improve themselves through hard work, especially in their education and employment, so that they can achieve a higher standard of living (16). +).» For hard work, there must be incentives such as a better job or acceptance to a top school. Today, adults actively reward all children, regardless of their achievements or lack thereof. The generic blue ribbon system actively destroys any incentive for hard work by essentially promising children that they will be rewarded for just sho...... middle of paper ...... dConrad, Cameron. “Education spending in the United States exceeds that of other countries.” Studentsfirst.org. StudentsFirst, July 3, 2013. Web. February 16, 2014. Dillon, Sam. “Federal Researchers Find Lower Standards in Schools.” » Nytimes.com. New York Times, October 29, 2009. Web. February 16, 2014Kenny, Charles. “The Real Reasons America’s Schools Stink.” Businessweek.com. Bloomberg Business Week, August 19, 2012. Web. February 16, 2014.McCulloch, Tony. "Civil Rights and the American Dream 1945-81: Tony McCulloch provides an overview of what has been achieved in the pursuit of civil rights for all American citizens, from the presidency of Roosevelt through that of Reagan." Review of 20th Century History 6.4 (2011): 16+. General OneFile. Internet. February 16, 2014. Weisenthal, Joe. “Here is the new ranking of the best countries in reading, science and mathematics.” Businessinsider.com. Business Insider Inc, December 3, 2013. Web. February 16. 2014.