The Law of Averages

America has been on a vast "self-improvement" effort for the past several decades. We have been stunningly successful. By careful and incremental steps, we have managed to raise many people to being "above average".

When I was young, above average meant that you had to know the definition and even use in a sentence the word "circumnavigation". Today you are above average if you know that "sale around the world" is not the same as "sail around the world". When I was young, a "locomotive" was a common term for the device that pulls a train. Today's young people would likely think it was some crazy reason for doing something. In order for me to excel in education, I had to get better than a 3.75 grade point average (since 4.0 was the highest possible) and then finish college. Today a 4.0 is "slacking" but tells others nothing about your abilities or intelligence (It's called "grade inflation") and graduating from high school is an achievement ... well, perhaps not a meaningful achievement, but certainly makes you above average.

When I entered the work force (which, technically, was when I was 12 ... but that's a different matter), to be above average you had to work hard. You had to do more than others did, produce more than others produced, be more accurate than others were, or serve more customers (with a smile) than others served. Whatever the business, you had to work hard to do more than the rest to be above average. Today new entries to the work force have to show up on time more often than the rest to be considered outstanding, likely management material.

I could go on, but here's the deal. In a very short time America has managed to push more and more of its young people "above average" simply by lowering standards and expectations. In other words, if we lower the average, then the law of averages would say that it's a lot easier to be above average. It was wrong of us to think that kids could behave in church, so the ones that don't are "average" and the ones that do ... well, it's a good chance those parents are abusive. It was wrong of us to think that the "service industry" would provide "service" ... so they don't. It was wrong to expect kids to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic, so the ones that do must be brilliant. It was wrong of us to think that hard work and determination were values we should espouse. Show up most of the time and don't damage things and you'll be fine. By lowering expectations and standards, we've managed to raise a whole lot more of our people to the "above average" rating. I think that should go in the "success" column. Don't you? Or is that just too much sarcasm on my part?