John Darns worked hard his entire football season for his trophy; he attended every practice, went beyond the required offseason 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, that beautiful two-foot-tall golden trophy with a man on it in the middle of kicking what would have been a perfect goal. Yes, he wore that orange tiger on his shirt well; he really deserved that trophy. Yet just a few feet away are the Black Hawks, the team that lost every game the entire season, earning a nearly identical trophy for making the championship. They didn't work as hard - they trained less than half as much as John's team and are compensated almost equally to make sure everyone feels like a winner. The concept that every child deserves a blue ribbon or trophy for doing their best plagues Generation Y every day of their young lives. The underlying principle of our entire society is that if one works hard he will be rewarded fairly, this principle is considered the framework of the American dream. Century History Review writer Tony McCulloch referred to the American Dream as: “all American citizens should be able to improve themselves through hard work, especially in their education and employment, so that they can reach a standard highest life (16) +).” For hard work there must be incentives such as a better job or acceptance into a top school. Today, adults actively reward all children regardless of their accomplishments 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 a little paper... dConrad, Cameron. “US education spending 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 Why American Schools Suck.” Businessweek.com.Bloomberg Business Week, August 19, 2012. Web. February 16, 2014. McCulloch, Tony. "Civil Rights and the American Dream 1945-81: Tony McCulloch Offers an Overview of What Was Accomplished in the Pursuit of Civil Rights for All U.S. Citizens from Roosevelt's Presidency to Reagan's." 20th Century History Review 6.4 (2011): 16+. General OneFile. Network. 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.