The Tavern

[brimstoneSalad]

It IS unfair, though.

What is fair? Can you define it?

Saying so is more of an arbitrary subjective claim, and it will be interpreted as whining by almost anybody and will usually result in negative outcomes. If the teacher takes it badly, it could place you in group D if there is one.
I would avoid that word in any non-objective context.

[EquALLity]

It IS unfair, though.

What is fair? Can you define it?

Saying so is more of an arbitrary subjective claim, and it will be interpreted as whining by almost anybody and will usually result in negative outcomes. If the teacher takes it badly, it could place you in group D if there is one.
I would avoid that word in any non-objective context.

Can we please not get into semantics about the word fair? >.<
My friend, who did just as well as me, is in team A. I am in team C merely because I haven't been going into the meetings. I don't like that.

He responded:
​Hi ______,

We have a record number of people. Your first email to me was important because I made sure to save you a spot on C. In fact I just took a person off of C today because we have too many people. Most of the people returning form last year have been placed on Team A or B, but things are very tight. I think there are two 10th graders from last year that are now on C (along with about 8 freshman, about 6 sophomores, and a couple of juniors).

If anyone else moves, we might be able to put you on another team. You are one of three people currently on C that would each be a great addition to team B.

Mr. ______


I can't believe I'm on team C. Wtf? Why did I even join the club last year? I might as well not have, I'd be on team C regardless.
Should I even do it? Maybe it'd be better to dedicate my time to other things.

[brimstoneSalad]

Can we please not get into semantics about the word fair? >.<

It's important to understand that it has no real meaning, and it just makes people angry when you say what they're doing is unfair, because in their views they are being fair.

If anyone else moves, we might be able to put you on another team. You are one of three people currently on C that would each be a great addition to team B.

Sounds reasonable.
He's had to bump more people than just you.
Some people haven't been able to join at all.

I can't believe I'm on team C. Wtf? Why did I even join the club last year? I might as well not have, I'd be on team C regardless.
Should I even do it? Maybe it'd be better to dedicate my time to other things.

Sometimes things are first come first serve.
How much time does this take each week?

[Dream Sphere]

I found an oddity on my Vega certified Vegan peanut butter chocolate protein bars. Right next to an advertisement on its label for its 1 gram of omega 3 content there's a picture of two orange fish. Kinda funny tbh.

[EquALLity]

It's important to understand that it has no real meaning, and it just makes people angry when you say what they're doing is unfair, because in their views they are being fair.

If there's any real definition of the word fair, being on a team for people new to the club even though you did just as good as people on the best one just because you haven't been going to the club (and it's not like they didn't know I still wanted to participate, I emailed him multiple times) is unfair.

Sounds reasonable.
He's had to bump more people than just you.
Some people haven't been able to join at all.

It's not just bumping, though. I'm not even on team B, and I did just as good as my friend on team A (we literally medaled together). If I was on team B, I wouldn't care that much, though I'd probably feel a bit slighted.

Apparently there was one guy on team A who wanted to go on team B, so he switched, but there was a problem with that and somehow he got put on team C.
It's a total mess.

Sometimes things are first come first serve.
How much time does this take each week?

First come first serve doesn't make sense if the teams are based on skill, and I went to the club at the earlier meetings and emailed him to make sure he knew I was still in the club.

I'm probably still going to do it, I'm just kind of salty about it now.
My friend told me that the teams are actually irrelevant, because the medals are all the same. And even if team A wins as a group (which is more likely than for team B or C to win, because people on team A obviously have more experience generally etc.) and goes to state level, it's not just people on team A who get to go; it's the people who did the best.
That's not completely true, because by being on team C I'll have a less experienced partner, but then I have a really smart friend who is new to the club on team C, and there's a genius freshman I know who's on team C. But still, it's kind of irritating.

[brimstoneSalad]

It's important to understand that it has no real meaning, and it just makes people angry when you say what they're doing is unfair, because in their views they are being fair.

If there's any real definition of the word fair, being on a team for people new to the club even though you did just as good as people on the best one just because you haven't been going to the club (and it's not like they didn't know I still wanted to participate, I emailed him multiple times) is unfair.

There isn't any real definition. But that sounds fair to me. Showing up means a lot. You can't just SAY you're committed. The teacher knows that actions speak louder than words, and he's assigning people based on evidence of effort this time, not just based on past achievement (letting people ride on possibly good luck in the past and have an unassailable advantage the next time too).

It sounds to me like he's being fair. I probably would have done the same.
I know it sucks that it affected you negatively; people affected negatively always have a bias that makes them see things as unfair, and people affected positively have a bias that makes them see it as fair.

If there were a real objective definition, you could show the math to prove it... but there isn't.

First come first serve doesn't make sense if the teams are based on skill, and I went to the club at the earlier meetings and emailed him to make sure he knew I was still in the club.

It's apparently not based 100% on skill, though, but also on showing up and evidence of effort.
Would it be fair for somebody to be on team A and then not show up? He can't necessarily take you at your word that you're coming back, you know.

My friend told me that the teams are actually irrelevant, because the medals are all the same. And even if team A wins as a group (which is more likely than for team B or C to win, because people on team A obviously have more experience generally etc.) and goes to state level, it's not just people on team A who get to go; it's the people who did the best.

That's good. So, don't worry about it. You can make it to state.

[Red]

https://youtu.be/OjlKIjLWq-Y
Å great video that shows how you shouldn't believe everything you see on the Internet and enforces fact checking, and shows how an incorrect correction can be taken as correct.

[Red]

Guess who found their Nintendo GameCube?

[Dream Sphere]

Guess who found their Nintendo GameCube?

I used to own one of those. It was the first home video game console which I owned, preceeded only by the Gameboy Advance portable system for gaming systems, and succeeded by my purchase of the PS2. Some games I enjoyed on it were Super Smash Bros: Melee, Paper Mario: The Thousand-year Door, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Super Mario Sunshine. I hated the controller though.

[Red]

I used to own one of those. Some games I enjoyed on it were Super Smash Bros: Melee, Paper Mario: The Thousand-year Door, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Super Mario Sunshine.

Some of my favourite games. Never beat Luigi's Mansion though..

I hated the controller though.

Are you kidding me? The controller looks cool.