WSJ: Most-praised generation goes to work

Not in my world, pal.

 

Well? Aren't they? ;D

 

60 Minutes did a piece on this about a year and a half ago that was pretty good. It's a very interesting sociological trend.

The irony is that those of us whose papers cover community and prep sports feed into the trend. It's not enough that the kids play and have fun, they need to "get their recognition from the paper." And then it's not enough that the kids who had the best performances get the "recognition." Everyone wants every kid's name in the paper. My place gets youth game writeups submitted from the same teams with the same kids listed every week. We've got one U-4 (yes, U-4) soccer league that sends us stuff. At what point is it enough validation?

Of course, if you're management at a local paper, you want as many names in the paper as you can get. But in that way, we're feeding into a trend where people equate participation -- rather than achievement -- with recognition. I think that makes us part of the problem.

 

That's why I make no bones about our "performance policy." When we get write-ups, we don't put every name in. Sorry, not everyone gets a trophy. No, "Jimmy Jockstrap gave a good effort." Make a play, get in the paper.

"But the same kids always get in the paper! It's not fair. The other kids try just as hard!"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we strive to make every inch of our copy newsworthy. Participation in a sport is not grounds for mention in the newspaper."

I get some flack for it, but not enough to make me change my policy yet.

 

I find it ironic that the very Baby Boomers who created this monster are the ones complaining about it.

 

And the baby boomers don't see the irony in that either.
Friend of mine, lets call him Generation W, helps run a local bike park.
Some of the parents approach him, want to know why he isn't handing out trophies to every kid.
His response was that kids get trophies when they win something, showing up and participating doesn't cut it.
The parents were outraged. Tried to get him removed from his volunteer job. It became a huge brouhaha, Generation W kept his volunteer gig, the kids didn't get trophies, but they do get pizza, that the parents pay for, every Friday night duing the summer.

 

I'm soooo tired of this 'participation trophy' thing. Give me a break.

 

AP had the same story a couple of months ago. It filled a Sunday paper hole.

 

In my short years in little league (baseball), I got a trophy for being part of a team that finished second out of four teams. Got one the following year for being on a team that finished third of four.

It's a shame such an interesting piece had the writer resort to that tired cliche of "soccer coaches" giving trophies, when "youth sports coaches" would have sufficed, and been more accurate and fair.

And Cadet is right. The people who have raised their children this way, this softer, lovey-dovey, don't make anyone feel bad, way and thus taught them to raise their own children this way, are the ones bleating about this situation the most.

 

Yep. They are the employers who have to hire these softy, hand-me-everything people. It's a little different when you're on that end of it.

 

Yeah, but where's the fun in that?

 

Every day I bring a new order to my newsrooms. My employees' lands, their homes, their possessions, their very lives -- all of this and more they will gladly give to me. In return, they will enjoy my generous protection. In other words, they will be allowed to live. (Or keep their jobs one more day.)

Now that's what I call "positive reinforcement."