It's been a while since I've blogged about something that wasn't sports-related. Over the past couple years, the issue of loyalty has come up. Should loyalty exist? How valueable is the principle of loyalty nowadays?
Being from the midwest, there are a lot of people who live in small towns who will always be loyal to their towns, sports teams, families, and way of life. You don't switch sports teams, you don't cheat on your spouse, you support local farmers, you support the company you work for. However, with the emergence of the internet, social media, and a general cultural shift in perspective and values, loyalty isn't valued as much anymore.
The first and biggest example to me is LeBron James. Maybe Clevelanders have a special sense of loyalty since all their sports teams suck, but when a Cleveland-area kid gets drafted by his hometown team and then bolts for a different one, a huge controversy was bound to come up. Obviously Cavaliers fans were mad he left. The rest of the country joined in saying they didn't appreciate the way he left. There were a lot of critics, though, who defended his decision saying that basketball was a business and he can go to any team he wants regardless of loyalty. All sides are legitmate arguments. This situation started me off wondering how important loyalty was, though.
Joe Mauer stayed with the Twins, his hometown. Michal Jordan came back to the Bulls after he un-retired, the team he had been with, and Brett Favre wanted to get a deal done with Green Bay. There are certain sports figures who show some degree of loyalty. It's mostly that the fans are loyal to their teams, regardless of who plays there. But owners don't have to be loyal to players; it's a business. Sometimes a team needs better players to win. So teams aren't loyal to players. Aren't they justified in leaving themselves?
Let's take a different job. How about a hot-shot attorney who has been with the same failing law firm for 10 years and it still isn't going anywhere. Is he obligated to stay with the company, or is he justified in leaving it to search something better out for himself and his family? How loyal does he have to be?
It seems like answers differ based on region. In the midwest, people are generally more loyal. Maybe it has to do with their history in farming. You HAVE to be loyal, dedicated, persistent in agriculture or your crops won't grow. Farming has made the population more loyal. Out east, things are more transient. People are generally less loyal because of competition. With so many people and few opportunities to move up the corporate ladder, sometimes you have to be willing to step on someone else to get where you want to be. A lot of people have a less-loyal mentality when it comes to life. Out west, people are pretty laid-back in general. There's not a lot of U.S history there, nothing to tie them down. California is the progressive state and not designed to value loyalty. They value progress, which usually involves change. Down south, people have traditions that they stick to. They have a code of conduct on how you treat women, the elderly, and guests in their home. People are generally more loyal to things there because of these factors.
So if LeBron James leaves the Sacramento Kings, it's not as big a deal because loyalty, especially in sports, isn't as prevalent in Sacramento or Anaheim as it is in Cleveland or Detroit.
Maybe sports isn't as justified, because it is a business. I think everyone would agree being loyal to your spouse and family is important though. Right? Wait, Ashley Madison who? Is marriage-loyalty not nearly as valued as before?
School loyalty, moreso amongst those in high school or middle school, has really dropped off. People don't really know what pep rallys are anymore. Working in a high school, the general attitude I felt was that the students hated their school and didn't want to be there. Facebook postings are also evidence. The Beach Boys would be crushed.
Loyalty needs to come back. When you hear of things changing for the worst, there's usually a loyalty issues:
More divorces nowadays = lack of loyalty to marriage
Less participation in school functions = lack of loyalty to school
More pro athletes changing teams = lack of loyalty to sports teams
Our culture has become so ADD, we expect to change more often. Change usually constitutes a lack of loyalty. Change isn't always a bad thing; sometimes we need change to occur. But nowadays, we change just for the sake of changing. Where's the loyalty? If you're only loyal to yourself, does that make you loyal?
I appreciate any input on the subject, especially those of you who are heavily involved in the social sciences.
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