March 27, 2004
LOSING THE RACE:
The little horse that couldn't (The Japan Times, March 28, 2004)
Haruurara, the chestnut mare famous for having now lost 106 races in a row, must be a secret fan of Samuel Beckett, the acerbic Irish playwright who died in 1989. We are thinking in particular of Beckett's late play "Worstward Ho," a line from which is said to have become the mantra of a thousand struggling stand-up comics: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."Haruurara's feats of ignominy at the racetrack -- the 8-year-old has never placed higher than second and has lifetime winnings of just 1 million yen -- have inspired pop philosophers from the prime minister down to the lowliest bettor to meditate on failure and its meaning, especially for slump-ridden Japan.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi praised the horse in the Diet as an example of fortitude in tough times. Conveniently ignoring the fact that the horse hardly has a choice in the matter, having stayed the course under whip and spur, the prime minister said the lesson of Haruurara's story was that "people shouldn't give up, even when they lose." Many ordinary people seem to have interpreted the saga of this Anna Kournikova of the equine world in the same way. (That's not a far-fetched comparison, by the way: Haruurara has earned millions in the horsy equivalent of endorsements and will soon go the winless tennis diva one better by having a movie made about her life).
Fans have told reporters that they identify the mare's losing streak with their own difficulties in a time of recession. "We feel that if we do our best for long enough we will win in the end," one man said last Monday after the little horse in the pink Hello Kitty hood posted a reliable 10th place out of 11 at Kochi Racecourse, despite the best efforts of a champion jockey.
Unfortunately, if Japan is comparable to a horse, that horse is a gelding. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 27, 2004 7:39 PM
What's that definition of insanity: repeating the same move thinking the result will be different the 100th time? Or is it redoubling one's effort as one loses sight of one's goal?
Posted by: Fred Jacobsen (San Fran) at March 27, 2004 8:48 PM"If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then give up. No use being a damn fool about it."
--William Claude Dukenfield, Esq.
Speaking of Anna Kournikova, Steven Den Beste once analyzed on his blog the question of why she'd never been a winner. He came to the conclusion that she'd never been a winner because she'd never exhibited the _desire_ to win, that is, she'd never been willing to put herself through the necessary training regimen because it'd have altered her physical appearance and her beauty was (and is) her meal ticket.
Posted by: Joe at March 27, 2004 10:46 PMIt's not really fair to compare Haruurara to Anna Kournikova.
In the first place, being the world's 75th best singles tennis player means that one is really good.
Secondly, although Anna has never won any singles tourneys, she holds many doubles championships. Anna is a winner, just not in the sport's premier catagory.
Perhaps, as Joe touches on, a partner provides Anna with the necessary motivation to maximize her potential.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at March 27, 2004 11:15 PM