Arrogance on the Court

$$$ I originally wanted AI to polish this, but what it wrote expressed my feelings much less well than my prompt. So I simply copied the prompt over, added line breaks, and showed how my conversation with AI developed. $$$

I want to write an article for my personal public account. Please use the following material to help me write it and polish my wording, but preserve sentences that carry my personal voice exactly. The title could be something like “Arrogant Peking University People.”

There are two qualities I especially dislike in people: arrogance, and nitpicking or taking things so seriously that they spoil everyone’s fun.

The article has several parts. To open, the day before yesterday I ran into “Super-Male Bro” again while playing floor hockey at school (luckily he was on the opposing team this time). Two weeks earlier I played very well: I scored from the left, from the right, and from up high, with long shots and counterattacks. A teammate from the high school affiliated with Peking University was particularly good. He was lively and modest. Though he was a fine shot, on one attack when I could have passed to him, he urged me to shoot myself. He also often encouraged us after missed shots.

Last week, however, my teammates were two Peking University students. They did not come often and did not know me; they thought themselves experts. I lost many chances to shoot. I could accept that—skill has to be proved on the court. But when I finally got the ball to try a long shot, one of the things I do better, one teammate grew impatient and complained that I did not pass or carry the ball farther forward. I felt awful and lost my enthusiasm. We play floor hockey for exercise and fun as well as competition. He was so serious that he seemed determined to win even a weekly game with no score, as though only shooting constantly to show off his skills would satisfy him.

This week “Super-Male Bro” was, frankly, rather childish. Two of his teammates were beginner women who were not yet good at blocking or shooting; everyone starts out that way. He was dissatisfied with them from the start, then sent both to the front because he thought they were useless at the back anyway. He even complained to another teammate that it was three against five at the back. His teammate motioned for him to stop, but he kept going. It was exasperating to watch.

Of course, not all Peking University students are aloof. A senior from our school who is now doing a doctorate there comes back to play with us and is very modest and courteous. The only classmate from my final year of high school admitted there was also among the few high-achieving students in our class who were genuinely humble. He treated average and struggling students without judging us through the filter of grades. Those who were arrogant, by contrast, mostly did not perform very well.

This further supports a theory I have held for a long time:

People always have to give something up.

With extreme seriousness, you may lose some joy;

With very high grades, you may lose some humility;

With very high intelligence, you may lose some emotional intelligence.

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The Gemini-generated version has been published at rinkochia dot blogspot dot com.

Arrogant Peking University People and the Spoilsports on the Court

There are two qualities in people I especially dislike: haughty arrogance, and taking everything so seriously and nitpicking so much that they spoil the fun.

As it happened, I met the notorious “Super-Male Bro” again while playing floor hockey at school the day before yesterday. Luckily, he was on the opposing team. Watching him reminded me of the different characters I had encountered in recent weeks on the court.

1. A dream teammate who makes everyone feel at ease

Two weeks earlier I had a great game: a goal from the left, one from the right, one from up high, long shots and counterattacks. I had a wonderful time.

One teammate was from the high school affiliated with Peking University and was an excellent player. Yet he was lively and humble. Though a skilled shooter, during one attack when I could easily have passed to him, he shouted encouragement for me to shoot myself. Even when we missed, he came over to pat our shoulders and encourage us. Playing with someone like that shows the real charm of competitive sport.

2. An arrogant, fun-killing “advanced player”

Last week the experience took a sharp turn. My teammates were two Peking University students who came infrequently and did not know me. Considering themselves experts, they arrived with an air of commanding the whole field. I lost many opportunities to shoot.

That alone would have been fine: in sport, you earn recognition through your play. But when I found space and finally got the ball for one of my preferred long shots, one teammate grew impatient, complaining that I had not passed and had not carried the ball forward farther.

He made me feel terrible and ruined my enthusiasm. We play floor hockey for fun and exercise alongside competition. But he took it so seriously that even a weekly match without a score seemed to be a must-win game, as though he could only enjoy himself by shooting constantly to display his ability.

That is the kind of spoilsport you want to avoid.

3. An overgrown child on the court: “Super-Male Bro”

Back to “Super-Male Bro” from the day before yesterday: his excessive desire to win struck me as childish.

Two of his teammates were women who were complete beginners and not yet good at blocking or shooting—but who did not struggle as a beginner? From the start he showed his displeasure, then ordered them both forward because, in his view, they were no use in defense anyway.

Worse, he loudly complained to other teammates that it was effectively “three against five” in the back. One teammate gestured for him to stop, but he would not let it go. Watching it was utterly exasperating.

4. People always have to give something up

To be clear, I am not making a sweeping attack on everyone at Peking University or everyone with advanced education. Not all are aloof.

A senior from our university, now a doctoral student there, returns to play with us and is modest and courteous. The only person from my final-year high-school class admitted there was also one of the few kind, high-achieving students. He treated average and struggling students without filtering us through our grades. The arrogant students who looked down on others often did not end up doing so well.

These faces on the court reinforce a theory I have long held: people always have to give something up.

With extreme seriousness, you may lose some joy;

With very high grades, you may lose some humility;

With very high intelligence, you may lose some emotional intelligence.

It is true in sport and in life. Be less arrogant, stop spoiling the fun, and bring joy back into life.

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