Posted By:
Frank WakefieldYears ago, in younger days, I was a life guard. Taught swimming lessons. Kids and adults would cough and splutter and splash around, then come up for air and ask how they did. I'd tell 'em "horrible" or "not very good at all" if that was how they'd done. They'd get discouraged. But eventually, when I did praise them, they just glowed.
Our society has gotten like that. Every kid gets a gold star at school. Everyone does well. It's like playing soccer instead of baseball, everyone is out there running up and down the field, "well done" for all of them. But in baseball you strike out sometimes, all by yourself.
If everyone gets 5 stars all the time, then 5 stars are meaningless. And if they do get an "extra mile" rating going, that would be good until everyone expected to get that, too. Then it would become meaningless.
Maybe I'm wrong... maybe everyone should get straight As in school, free rides to college, everyone goes to medical school. Reminds me of a school club where one kid ran for president, and 7 for vice president. The solution, change the by-laws to allow for the club to have 7 vice presidents. Problem solved. Everyone wins. And give 'em 5 stars, too!
Hell, let's give Pete Rose 5 stars. And put everyone who made it to double A in the Hall of Fame while we're at it.