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The Egalitarian Error Margaret Mead Analysis

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Who Appreciates Success?

(An analysis of Margaret Mead's view of success)

Success is often met with celebratory comments, but the meaning behind those comments is a terrifying thought. To be truly happy for someone during their successful times doesn't always seem that easy, but why is that? Even at a high school level, when someone is more successful in class than yourself, saying the word "congratulations" is not always the easiest feat. In The Egalitarian Error, Margaret Mead summarized that success is often celebrated for those unrelated to our lives, but when it comes to someone close to us, success is seen as a threat. Mead assumes that a general human tendency is to fear those who have the ability to overcome us. However, …show more content…

Mead's statement comes to life in light of the immediate thought associated with success in people: being both personal and huge success. Furthermore, success between close groups is not often taken lightly, as it defines a clear obstacle to personal success. However, humans do have the ability to appreciate the success of others due to a general desire for a better society for all of humanity. At first, it may seem that Mead's generalization is a harsh reflection of the human reaction to success, but it means so much more than that. Mead did not exclude the fact that humans are capable of appreciating others. Competition is to be expected among small groups, but the success of others is a mere motivating force to drive individuals to their own personal success which eventually spills over into societal success, just glance at the Civil Rights Movement. The smartest girl in the class might just seem to be your own personal predator, but in the jungle of life, having a predator is motivation to outsmart the predator, and without the success of ourselves and others, we would cease to succeed as a society and

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