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Much to the relief of thousands of Coloradans, the Broncos lost Sunday. They did not get blown out by Buffalo, but to the relieved Coloradans, it is more important that the Broncos have avoided the risk of going to the Superbowl and getting humiliated on national television.
Judging by what I've read, a lot of people have trouble understanding the Colorado Syndrome: that it is infinitely better to hide under a rock than it is risk embarrassment by going for the big one.
It's a stupid attitude. But I understand the Colorado Syndrome perfectly, because I succumb to it frequently.
Should I send a manuscript out? Suppose it gets ignored; that would be humiliating. Suppose I get a rejection letter; that would be demeaning. Suppose they buy it. Then I'd have to talk to a condescending Manhattan editor who'd be correcting my pronunciation and treating me like a hick. That would be insulting. Suppose they publish it and promote it. Then I might have to go on radio and TV, and I'd cuss or pick my nose. That would be mortifying.
Obviously, the best course is not to run the risk. Then I can avoid humiliation and maintain my self-esteem.
The problem with that course is that I don't sell much work. My bank account drops to where the possible embarrassment from a distant editor becomes less of a threat to my psychological well-being than the certain prospect of moving from a comfortable house to the south abutment of the F Street Bridge.
Only then do I get ambitious for a spell -- but it's always a struggle. I have to keep telling myself that I really don't care what strangers think, and that anybody who accomplishes anything is generally mocked as a fanatic.
Martha, who didn't grow up in Colorado, has always been
mystified by this attitude. People here are as clever
and talented as people anywhere,
she says, but
you're all afraid to try for the big time because somebody,
somewhere, might laugh at you. Is it something in the
water?
I suspect some self-selection is at work, especially in the mountains, which attract people who want to hide.
I do know that if our governor were serious about educational reform, he'd have every Colorado school throw out the usual curriculum which teaches you that the most important thing is to stand quietly in line and to avoid being ridiculed -- for knowing too much, for caring too much, for trying too hard, for asking too many questions.
Instead, Colorado schools would instill the belief that the important thing is to have a shot at the Superbowls of this life, and that only an idiot would worry about possible humiliation or ridicule.
I'm too old to learn this lesson, but I sure hope my kids figure it out, so that they might amount to something besides Coloradans who sigh with relief every time the Broncos don't go to the Superbowl.
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