Marbles aren't Money and a Victim of Habit

                The idea that we actually have a part of the brain that is willing to share equally is pretty amazing. Part of the human mind actually appreciates fairness even if it means that you as an individual lose something of value. What seems often like an economic assumption (that people do all things out of selfishness) may at times be untrue.  It is something even chimpanzees do not appear to have. So whether you believe it is God-given ability or an evolutionary trait, it really is something to marvel at and as economists pursuing maximization of utility a new toy when creating theory.  I saw a few problems with the model of pulling a string to get marbles and then exchanging marbles. First of all they are little kids. They haven’t developed into the stubborn people that policy makers have to deal with. Then they are dealing with marbles. Change that to something the child actually puts a higher value on and then see what happens.  Money is not marbles.  Greed is part of the issue with wealth distribution. Even if someone really thinks that others deserve something, I feel as if money is a whole other ballgame. Feel free to argue against me but I think the comparison just is not realistic or useful.  Redo the experiment with something children would give up their whole life to accumulate that item.

                From my own experience this does not that often. It seems like that cheesy moment in a sports movie where the guy gives up his spot for the guy who has worked his butt off or just hasn’t been given a chance. Though this is minor and I can’t think of a specific example I know that this has happened. Imagine a bunch of little league baseball players get rewarded with 2 Gatorade bottles for a game well fought. All of the kids run to get their drink but the suppliers miscounted and inevitably “Little Timmy” just didn’t make it in time to get a bottle. Not involving any parent, one of the other kids offers him one of their bottles and they go on their way. It is a simple selfless transaction.  A work example might involve someone taking on my responsibilities as a student manager. We hold chains/down markers during practice and there is no real rule on whose job it is to hold them. If someone has had an easy day of standing around they may take the duty of the person who usually has to stand with a chain. There is no rule that says they have to, it is simply out of the desire for fairness and respect for that individual’s effort.  I recommend that you take a look at John’s example of note exchanging as it may be a slightly stronger example- and has to do with school.

                The next set of questions is slightly unclear to me but I will take a stab.  I will try to base this off of the second piece’s cookie for socializing example.  I think for me I will go back to my freshman and sophomore years and my poor attempts to find a group of people to socialize with. I did not enjoy the party scene my freshman and sophomore years, as it was simply not me, but that did not stop me from showing up and being that awkward dude who looks like he is lost and incredibly boring. I did not drink, but I enjoyed the company of others, even if it meant sacrificing comfort and not being able to form any remotely strong connections. Despite the lack of enjoyment in the activity, I kept going because of maybe a false sense of acceptance (not trying to be a psychologist). Whatever the reason I think that I adjusted; realizing people were everywhere, not just at my buddies’ apartment parties. I found my way into CRU which has been great for me and for hanging around people share appreciation for activities that I enjoy too.

Actions do the Talking

Ah yes, the old phrase “actions speak louder than words.” This common phrase, you could argue could be broken into a couple pieces. Do they really speak louder? Do they even speak? The main part that is the focus of our discussion is the latter. In what circumstances do our actions seem to speak on purpose or inadvertently?

The first thought that came into mine was relationships, from marriage, to dating, to even friends and family. Though its value depends on the person’s individual preference levels, actions can show someone what you may think of them. Let’s start with a positive example of actions with intent to send a certain message. Valentine’s Day, though on occasion a chore, often is used as a day to give gifts or serve your significant other in some way. Maybe a husband will buy his wife flowers, make her breakfast in bed, etc.  The intention of this message is usually to say I love and care about you. On a non intimate level maybe it is something like cleaning your room or cutting the grass to show you parents you value their pride in their household. The action of serving without being asked is a good way to communicate that you are thinking of someone else and that there well being matters to you. They can also be not so heartwarming. Let’s go fairly extreme. What if a burglar entered your household? What message do you want to send to that burglar? My guess is that you want to tell him he is not welcome. Rather than talk it out like gentlemen, you let him know you are there by rustling, turning on a light, grabbing a bat and chasing him out of the house.  I think they will get the picture.

How about sending signals when you aren’t intending to send them?  We could stick with close, possibly intimate, relationships as these messages may cause quite the ruckus, but let’s deviate from that topic. Instead let me focus on something that relates to my sports fan life. I have long been a Michigan and Detroit Lion’s fan. I entered college with the intent of being in the Lion’s front office one day. I had a conversation with a member of the Bears who suggested that I get involved with the football program at University of Illinois to improve my resume, then I could work for the Bears and move on to the Lion’s once I left college. Needless to say I got both desired positions and my future with the Lion’s was well on its way. When I arrived back home to my church I realized I had sent out a message that I had no intention of sending. Everyone wanted to hear about the teams and what it was like behind the scenes of the Illinois football program. I have been an inducted member of the wild Illinois fans due to my actions. I have yet to tell them where my allegiances still lie (Partially because it is fun to be wanted). Part of my job for the Bears included running a 16 foot flag out of the tunnel when the game starts and waving it around during the introduction. This does not exactly scream Lion’s fan. So while the overall purpose of this was to get a job with the Lion’s, the message being sent was far from it.

If there was a less related message I would consider the act of doing nothing to be quite powerful, in sending both intended and unintended messages.  I think this often rears its head in relationships but I’m sure it could find other instances.

Hypothetical Illinibucks

                The topic for this week is that what would happen hypothetically if we hypothetically had Illinibucks that could move you to the front of lines. If there was such a thing there would be a number of uses, a few of which we may have mentioned in class. There is registration.  As a fortunate person who is able to partake in a job with the football program, I have received the advantage of being able to register early, with the athletes.  Though I have not always jumped at the opportunity right away, I usually get all of the classes I want.  If you could pay money to be moved before many others, there would certainly be students who partake in this activity. How would price affect this sort of action? I believe that the price would not matter for the most part and that kids would look at it as just another fee to get the class they want. It would be incredibly unfair to students who pay significant portions of dollars for all the services the University provides. I suspect that no matter what type of pricing is involved, the University of Illinois would have a sort of lawsuit or complaining that would negatively impact the school’s image.

                Another event or opportunity for the illinibucks would have to do with sports. People buy vouchers or sign up for orange crush, then they wait for the opportunity to be first to turn in their vouchers or be first in line at the assembly hall. If they could gain an edge and save themselves inconveniences and potentially hours of their time, you would have a number of eager participants.  I can see this actually being quite effective for organizations, like the orange crush, that are required to raise funds. Pricing as always would seem unfair to some people but this is separate from education (or at least that would be my argument).  This would cause the biggest supporters, the kids with too much money and the craziest of the fans to get a spot on the court or in block I. The rest would be stuck up in C section or along the opposing sideline. I do not believe this policy would have near the effect on football due to the fact that the seats simply are not that much better in comparison. On the other hand the orange crush may face certain issues. Their numbers may decrease because students don’t see the need to be a part of orange crush when they will end up in the upper deck with no real advantage.

                Let’s continue by going back to registration. But let’s take a look at it at a smaller level. What about jumping ahead of the line for individual classes? This has a very similar feel to our first example. This one has a twist that makes it a little more interesting. By dealing with individual classes it is not nearly as universal and is not simply adding a fee, there is an actual specific selection process. As long as everyone has an equal amount of illini bucks and it isn’t just one overall fee this would add an aspect that may teach students how to manage money better. In reality all this would most likely do is cause complete chaos in the system and make too many people angry.

                In my opinion hypothetical illinibucks are most likely meant for anger, complaining, and scandals. It does not matter what price they are. I have gotten the classes I desired often without use of the early registration and never have been deeply involved in the illini fanbase.

Opportunism

The topic for this week was fairly applicable for this point in my life. According to the prompt opportunism is defined as taking advantage of circumstances.  There are times when we will give up something that will benefit us in order to give others a better circumstance, is unethical, or we know that there will be upcoming opportunities that outweigh the current one.

Though this may show a certain level of procrastination, the moment that was nearly perfectly applicable was Ahmad Bradshaw’s touchdown run in the Super Bowl earlier today. As the Patriot’s defense opened like the Red Sea (on purpose) Bradshaw burst through the line and could have galloped through the goal line in a moment of glory.  Scoring a touchdown was no doubt a likely dream for this young man’s life. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and would help leave a legacy. Just as he got to the Goal line he paused as he was about to take a knee to stop the clock. This would have destroyed an opportunity but would in the end give his team the opportunity for a chip shot field goal and the title of Super Bowl champions.  If you watched more than the commercials, you know the end to this story as Bradshaw stopped and inevitably fell into the end zone. Maybe he weighed the percentages of the Patriots possibilities of winning, was playing a joke, or accidently leaned too far. Either way, he made a good choice as the Giants went on to win and he got his personal moment. But there have been other instances of players taking knees before touchdowns, passing on personal glory and stats that will add dollars to their bank account for the greater good of the team.

I can also think of a moment during the Illini football season where personal opportunity was sacrificed for the team and the program. This story is filled with a bit more reluctance. I went to San Francisco for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and wide receiver, AJ Jenkins, was not very far from having Illinois’ all time receiving record. Then as the game progressed AJ was only 3 yards away from the record. This is the all time record in Illinois History! He knew this and came up to coach begging for the opportunity to go for the record. I could see the begging look in his face and some frustration too. You see this was the end of the game and we could seal the deal by running the clock out meaning not passing to AJ. He agreed and though upset he did not throw a hissy fit or do anything crazy. He went out on the field and blocked for a few more plays and that was his career.  Had he had the opportunity he may have chosen otherwise. The coach also gave up the opportunity to give a kid he cared about the chance for the record. The possible reasons for the coach’s choice may be selfish in that he wanted to win to improve his record and better his chances of getting a job after the season. Then its possible he really cared about the rest of the team and the program. Winning 2 bowl games in a row had never been done in Illinois history. Know this coach for a few years I can quite sincerely say that I believe this was about making sure all the other student athletes walked away with a win. He would have certainly given AJ the shot in different circumstances but he passed on that opportunity for the greater good of the team. (However cheesy that may sound)

Sports though filled with arrogance, can also be one of the most humbling arenas.