Why We Need a Leader

The function of the leader is to coordinate the efforts of the team members in order to direct them towards a common purpose and to maximize their effectiveness. The leader may also be called upon to make decisions and mediate disputes. Generally, the longer the team has been together, the need for leadership diminishes. Everybody knows what they and their team mates are supposed to do, and they can count on each other to do it.

There are three main styles of leadership: authoritative, developmental, and manipulative. Most leaders seem to have a favorite style, but they may employ one of the other two styles if the situation calls for it. I can work well with an authoritative or a developmental leader, but I don't care much for the manipulative style. Ironically, the Bliss Fest organization seemed to favor the manipulative style but, over the years, I developed techniques to work around it. What kept me there for some 20 years was my desire to see the festival continue, because I like folk music, and it's not generally available anywhere else around here. As the percentage of folk music declined and the percentage of that modern crap increased, it finally got to the point that I no longer found it worth the effort. Plus, as I got older, it became more of an effort for me to do everything. I had to establish priorities, and Bliss Fest just didn't make the cut. I didn't regret the time I had already spent there, but I felt it was time to move on.

Human equality is a noble aspiration, but it is seldom to be found in the real world. Even in social situations, where it's not generally necessary, people tend to organize themselves into groups and assign various levels of status, both to individuals within the group, and collectively to their group in relation to other groups. White Europeans dominated the civilized world for centuries, both politically and economically and, to some degree, socially. Nothing lasts forever, and the other groups have been increasingly asserting themselves in our lifetimes. Many of these others seem to be trying to get even for the oppression of their ancestors. I can't blame them for that, I would probably feel that way myself in their position. Most of this oppression, however, happened before our lifetimes, and we certainly played no part in it. Whether or not it's fair to punish us for the sins of our predecessors is debatable, but I have no intention of voluntarily submitting to it regardless. Defense of life, liberty, and property is a natural human instinct, and I am, after all, just a  natural sort of guy at heart.

Not that I care about sports, but I seem to remember that, during the Cold War years, the amateur status of Russian Olympic athletes was frequently called into question. As you said, they were all members of the military and, while they were technically not being paid for athletics, they were given time off with pay from their military duties to participate. I don't remember how, or even if, it was ever resolved. I think you got it right the first time: "Hockey, who gives a fuck?"