I know you are never supposed to talk politics or religion, but I just couldn't help but notice that no matter whether it's in the gubernatorial race, this Active Rain community, or our jobs and careers, there is always someone who thinks it improves themselves in the public (or peers') eyes if they can point out faults of the "other guy".  Why do some people need to be adversarial? Is that just a character trait? Nature or Nurture?

I'm sure we've all experienced, or seen, this phenomenon before. I once suffered through it for 6 years, laboring under a supervisor who felt it made her look good to make her subordinates look bad. At the time, I was two levels under her.  It was extremely satisfying, when she was finally transferred to another department that she stayed with the corporation long enough to see me promoted twice, getting to her level of management in less than two years after she left the department.  Hmmmm.  6 years a mediocre employee, just to have me become management in less than two years?  That wasn't the first time something like that had happened, but it certainly was the most obvious.

I saw  it this past few weeks in the political climate - I actually changed my vote because of the mud-slinging. I couldn't justify voting for someone who couldn't proudly stand on their own accomplishments without putting their opponent down. 

I've never figured that out.  If you supervise employees, and they are awful employees the entire time, how can that possibly make you look good? What does that say about your management skills?  If you slam someone, whether in casual conversation, at work, or in a community such as Active Rain, how can that make you look good? What does that say about you?

I would think that in a networking community such as this, it would be obvious that we all need to stand on our own qualifications, knowledge and skills and just appreciate the wealth of information we share on a daily basis. Everyone has something to give to this community.  To every community, actually.  We all have something to give to everyone whose lives we touch.

Well, I certainly didn't intend to get preachy about it.  Here's hoping that novices like me can speak up along with the "big guys", and maybe we can all learn something from or about each other, with every post.

The election is over! Yea!