As the time for the Oscars approaches I am reminded of my perception that we bestow too may awards in our culture. Perhaps it is just that awards can garner more attention because of the media. But I rather think we bestow too many awards and in doing so the awards become watered down and less meaningful. In some professions the award becomes more of a marketing tool than an actual award for an achievement. (In some fields I think it is too difficult to "judge" achievement.) Anyway I find myself being cynical when I hear about another award or award winner.
Are there too many awards? Have many of them become more of a marketing tool than a recognition of achievement? Are some of them bestowed upon people who lobby and network the best rather than those that have "achieved" something noteworthy? If so perhaps we should be careful to distinguish between types of awards and stop calling all of them achievement awards. Some of the awards would be better recognized as marketing awards or self-promotion awards. Then we could really honor those who have "achieved" great things.
