評判 (Hyouban) is the Japanese word for reputation, and it’s a
very important concept for their culture, but I would argue it’s even more
important in China, where saving face and preserving one’s name is tantamount
to other concepts such as wealth, practicality, and sometimes even honor. I’ve
been instilled since birth to have a good reputation by doing such things as
giving to others when they are in need, returning money as soon as possible to
someone I’ve borrowed it from, doing things that allow others to have a good
impression of me.
Sometimes reputation can seem overrated, like if you hold the
door to the elevator for other people, but you never see that person again, you
haven’t really set a reputation, and the value of that reputation doesn’t seem
that high. But it’s those types of act that lead to other acts that give a
reputation, like sharing notes during law school, or letting other people
switch with your particular interview slot to the detriment of yourself, etc. I take
value in that sometimes even if I’m taking a monetary hit. After all, each of
us will pass away one day (kind of morbid, sorry) and all that remain will be
our name and our reputation, passed on by other people. I would like a good one
to be passed on for eternity (probably won’t go that far, but one can hope).
I would say that reputation of other things like school you
went to or company you associate with is also pretty important. Especially in
today’s society where people need to know things quickly about other people and
get a gauge right away or they lose interest, having a good education/ getting
a recommendation from a friend is essential towards signaling/branding/labeling
oneself. Lots of things get done by online, comparing resumes, exchanging information,
etc., can carry one. The more I age the more I realize that the adult world/
business world is really just about advertising oneself, making oneself
marketable, so that others will trust and use services or goods that one
provides, whichever industry one is in. A good reputation will do that.
In dodgeball, I have a reputation as a catcher, and it really
influences the way the game is played for me. It’s like baseball: if a pitcher
knows that a hitter is looking to swing away at pitches, they’ll throw pitches
out of the strike zone that the hitter will reach for, and if the pitcher knows
the hitter is taking/trying to draw a walk (dodging would be the equivalent in
dodgball), they’re throw at the body. It’s a very useful distinction. More
important than knowing others’ reputation, I feel, is knowing your own
reputation. If you know what others expect of you, you can craft your game as
necessary and make the adjustments. For dodgeball, if I know teams have
instructed players not to throw at me because I am a threat to catch it, I will
take more chances throwing despite the presence of throwers, etc.
Reputation has a somewhat different role in fantasy baseball:
sure the same pitcher-hitter analogy applies where people know Brandon Philips
is a hacker or that Carlos Santana is looking to draw out counts and aim for a
walk, but that’s already factored into one’s overall value. It’s important to
know what the hitter is actually doing v. what his reputation is, and often
this is where the wheat can rise to the top. It’s not necessarily just “hype”
neither, that’s preseason chatter based on the “sexiness” of a pick, a
reputation is more of what a hitter has established over the years based on
rock solid performance, so that fantasy owners come to expect a certain level
of performance from that player. A great example is David Ortiz having a reputation
for .300-30-100 seasons, or Prince Fielder having a reputation as a solid HR
source. It’s important to actually watch the games or at least that player’s
at-bats to see if they’re really living up to that reputation. In Fielder’s
case, he had 3 RBI last night which would seemingly fulfill his slugging
reputation but they were all a result of ground balls that found holes in the
defense, not exactly “mashing” kind of hits. Prince Fielder, would, in my
opinion, be someone who will not live up to his reputation this season.
The importance of reputation is played out beautifully in
this clip from the best show ever (still, in my book), The Wire (parental
guidance required) :
"My Name is My Name!"
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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