It's a cultural thing, definitely. Some Americans take it too far, but even those who don't (many), who don't think everything in life is about winning a competition, still interpret most things as competitions even if they aren't officially so. We've got tons of sayings that subconsciously make us a winners-only culture: "Winners don't do drugs", "Quitters never win", etc.
As a teenager I was totally disillusioned with it, so I mistakenly thought winning of any form and encouraging others to try to win made you an intellectually bankrupt tool. Probably made me happier, but had the adverse effect that I feel a lot lazier than other people I know because I'm more prepared to do "good enough" rather than try to outperform my peers. Being American-born, I feel like I could be seen as a poor performer by my superiors simply because I'm not doing better than my peers.
As far as cultural things go, I'll take it over "tall poppy syndrome" anytime. I'd rather be looked down upon for doing poorly than be looked down upon for doing well.
As a teenager I was totally disillusioned with it, so I mistakenly thought winning of any form and encouraging others to try to win made you an intellectually bankrupt tool. Probably made me happier, but had the adverse effect that I feel a lot lazier than other people I know because I'm more prepared to do "good enough" rather than try to outperform my peers. Being American-born, I feel like I could be seen as a poor performer by my superiors simply because I'm not doing better than my peers.