Failure

[threefiftyfour]

I have been spending a great deal of time with my father over the last two months. We are very far apart politically, but have a good relationship. Many of our conversations revolve around what is wrong with America, when it went wrong, why and how. And some times we talk about how to fix it. Fairly deep conversations to say the least. They always seem to end with me ready to make another point, and him changing the subject.
As I was making lunch today, I was concerned that it would not be done in time. I decided that was not acceptable, turned up the heat on one item, and double timed it on another. It was lunch. Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic rolls. Nothing of great importance, but I "knew" failure was not an option, for lunch, on one day.
My question is, when did failure not only become an option for Americans, but a way of life? America now has a shocking number of people that freely and fully embrace failure. Why, When and how has this happened? I think I know most of the answers about this, but isn't this really the "core" problem we have? Most Americans accept that we "failed" in 08 and just let the Obama admin. run roughshod over the constitution. We failed with Clinton, and let him lie. We failed with Bush and let him spend like a Dem. There are examples running back what 100 years? Longer? Lincoln?
Maybe this whole post is from too much garlic, but I don't think so. I think I may go have some and take a nap before I go and fight for the future of a kid that I barely know. Have a great day, and failure is not an American option, at least not for me.

 

[eldirector]

Failure became a viable option the day it started to pay just as well.

The consequences of failure are ALMOST as good as succeeding. Well, at least good enough.

Can't/won't get a job? You can still get paid.
Can't/won't feed your family? They can still eat, and even have snacks and dessert.
Can't/won't pay your bills? You don't have to, and you can still keep your car and house.
Can't/won't afford an education? Someone else can pick up the tab, and you can default on paying them back as well.
Can't/won't make the grade? You'll still score high enough to get "pity passed" and move on.
Can't/won't win first place? Don't worry, we ALL get participation trophies now.

Personal responsibility, and being a man of your word, is slowing (quickly?) eroding away. If there are no consequences for not keeping your promises, then why would you? Even worse, doing what is right is almost frowned upon now. It is certainly more expensive.

 

[Hookeye]

Don't use the F word.

Those who do not succeed are VICTIMS.

 

[J_Wales]

Lincoln was a "to big to fail" kind of guy, a statist, and an early precursor of where we are today.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Failure became a viable option the day it started to pay just as well.

The consequences of failure are ALMOST as good as succeeding. Well, at least good enough.

Can't/won't get a job? You can still get paid.
Can't/won't feed your family? They can still eat, and even have snacks and dessert.
Can't/won't pay your bills? You don't have to, and you can still keep your car and house.
Can't/won't afford an education? Someone else can pick up the tab, and you can default on paying them back as well.
Can't/won't make the grade? You'll still score high enough to get "pity passed" and move on.
Can't/won't win first place? Don't worry, we ALL get participation trophies now.

Personal responsibility, and being a man of your word, is slowing (quickly?) eroding away. If there are no consequences for not keeping your promises, then why would you? Even worse, doing what is right is almost frowned upon now. It is certainly more expensive.

I would expand this to the workplace.

You meet all of your objectives and exceeded expectations, here's your 3% raise and 5% bonus!

You failed to meet any of your objectives, here's your 2.5% raise and 5% bonus.

You can also include "force distribution" into this as well.

There really isn't much of a reason to succeed anymore. Especially when significant effort nets minimal gain.

I don't know when this happened, but somewhere along the line, being present at the office, and filling out all the forms correctly became more important than getting the work done well and on time. Attendance and Compliance. You get those two things working and you'll go places in the corporate world.

 

[eldirector]

I would expand this to the workplace.

You meet all of your objectives and exceeded expectations, here's your 3% raise and 5% bonus!

You failed to meet any of your objectives, here's your 2.5% raise and 5% bonus.

You can also include "force distribution" into this as well.

There really isn't much of a reason to succeed anymore. Especially when significant effort nets minimal gain.

I don't know when this happened, but somewhere along the line, being present at the office, and filling out all the forms correctly became more important than getting the work done well and on time. Attendance and Compliance. You get those two things working and you'll go places in the corporate world.

That is certainly how it was at my last job. 1% raises across the board, if we were lucky, and not based on performance. having a pulse paid the same as busting ass.

Current employer is WAY different:
- Meet your goals, and get your standard merit increase (percent or two)
- exceed your goals, and get a few percent more
- Hit your VERY aggressive performance metrics (actual deliverables) and get a very decent bonus payout.
- Miss any of the above twice in a row, and you had better polish off your resume and buy a new suit. We don't have time for slackers.

Some companies get it, and some don't. We are leaders in our market by chance.

 

[rambone]

America is like garlic bread...

Failure is not an option.

 

[SideArmed]

With families now in the third generation collecting welfare, it is just getting harder to stop the spread of this. There are kids now that have known no other way of life, but collecting from the Government.

I sat my son down the other night (6yo), and had a talk with him about what it means to be on a team. We discussed how if he didn't show up at his basketball game, he would be letting his teammates down, and making them work even harder to make up for his absence. Then we talked about how if he started quitting things like basketball now, how it would become much easier in the future to just give up and quit rather than to work hard and succeed. And I told him the only way to truly fail is to give up and quit caring.

It was a big talk for my little guy, but I think he got it. He went out with more energy the next night on the court and played his little heart out. After the game he came up and said "dad, I'm glad I didn't quit."

I think too many people are giving up on teaching good morals and values.

 

[88GT]

Failure is not an option.

Now I'm really hungry.

 

[Liberty Sanders]

I have been spending a great deal of time with my father over the last two months. We are very far apart politically, but have a good relationship. Many of our conversations revolve around what is wrong with America, when it went wrong, why and how. And some times we talk about how to fix it. Fairly deep conversations to say the least. They always seem to end with me ready to make another point, and him changing the subject.
As I was making lunch today, I was concerned that it would not be done in time. I decided that was not acceptable, turned up the heat on one item, and double timed it on another. It was lunch. Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic rolls. Nothing of great importance, but I "knew" failure was not an option, for lunch, on one day.
My question is, when did failure not only become an option for Americans, but a way of life? America now has a shocking number of people that freely and fully embrace failure. Why, When and how has this happened? I think I know most of the answers about this, but isn't this really the "core" problem we have? Most Americans accept that we "failed" in 08 and just let the Obama admin. run roughshod over the constitution. We failed with Clinton, and let him lie. We failed with Bush and let him spend like a Dem. There are examples running back what 100 years? Longer? Lincoln?
Maybe this whole post is from too much garlic, but I don't think so. I think I may go have some and take a nap before I go and fight for the future of a kid that I barely know. Have a great day, and failure is not an American option, at least not for me.

Careful what you say...BATF may rule that "garlic intoxication" is an impediment to gun ownership and set up a checkpoint outside Olive Garden.

 

[hornadylnl]

Who is John Galt?

 

[eldirector]

Who is John Galt?

Don't know his real name, but he is user #1275.

Oh, wait... wrong one.