What is fair? WAS RE Matt

• From: dargan_w <no_reply_at_yahoogroups.com>
• Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2003 03:02:41 -0000
• Message-ID: <b3jv4h+4ted_at_...>

There is never going to be universal agreement on which type of 
tournament is more enjoyable, or for that matter which tournament is 
fair.  Universal standards of fairness are ephemeral at best in 
every endeavor of life.  Hell, the U.S. Supreme Court, composed of 
nine well-educated if not always highly-intelligent individuals, 
maintained for 60 years that it was perfectly fair for black and 
white kids to go to different schools.  
If you were to ask everyone on this list anonymously, I think you 
would find that some people actually think that structuring a 
tournament so that the best team is most likely to win is actually 
unfair.  (They might say, "They're the best team, why should we help 
them".)  Some might take these sports analogies even further afield, 
to golf or bowling, and argue that weaker teams should get some kind 
of handicap.  Personally, I find these arguments as ridiculous as 
those favoring segregation.  (NOTE -- I am not equating these 
morally!)  However, if that's how Cooterneck Tech wants to run their 
tournament, and they can get people to play in it, then you and I, 
Mr. Weiner, have no cause to try to prevent it.

Dargan

P.S. I have recently experienced similar arguments about why I 
shouldn't gripe about CBI, and you're not going to get away from 
that.  Oh well.