Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Chivalry Isn't Dead. It just got shorter.

Reaffirmation of one's faith in humanity is found in strange places. Mine got a little kick start last week, at a technical competition in an enormous conference centre, surrounded by robots of various sizes and functions. The machines themselves were impressive (though they didn't resemble anything from The Jetsons or Terminator movies), but the young people designing and driving them were nothing short of admirable. It wasn't their technical skill or mechanical know-how either. I was surrounded by thousands of them, aged six through eighteen, and with almost no exception, they were...well, they were nice.

To begin with, they were actually excited to be there. Wifi didn't really work in the convention centre, and there were very few laptops without actual code on the screens. The lack of the usual brand of stimulus didn't seem to phase them. They made and distributed buttons with team logos, danced around in costumes, and high-fived other teams as they made their way into the arena. Even more shocking was their unrelenting politeness. I actually heard please and thank you, and when one team had a piece of broken machinery, another gladly gave them their spares. When one of the robots failed to ship, the teams nearby offered to help build a last-minute replacement.

I was a little confused. Where was the attitude, the abject nastiness this generation was supposed to dish out? Where were the sneers and the indifference? Why were they cheering each other on, jumping up and down in the stands and praising complete strangers? I asked one of the coaches to explain this bizarre phenomenon and his answer explained everything.

"Only the grown ups involved get grouchy and competitive."