Managing the Exception – When Dumbing it Down is just Dumb.

Consider for a moment:

…The ‘this is hot’ hot coffee disclaimer because someone was a bit too litigious.

…The pricey buffet lunch because of the guy who stuffed his pockets with shrimp on the way out.

…The restricted access lane because someone forgot to signal when turning left.

…The end of  ‘Casual Friday's’ because Tawdry Tammy took casual too far.

 … Anything done by the TSA…

Sound familiar?

It’s the ‘Managing the Exception’ Effect.

So often our society is guided by the weakest link or the exception to the norm.  We pander to the last train car and the least common denominator*.  We dumb it down so as not to lose anyone or offend with our high-falutin big-talking razzle-dazzle.  We avoid getting ‘too technical’ or ‘too literary’ or ‘too scientific’ or ‘too smart’.

…Eww, Mr. Smart. I hate that guy…

To all of this fear of being ‘too’ much, I say: ‘Suck it up, America.’

We all understand the theory of reaching for the stars but then spend $10mill building a gold-plated staircase with heated handrails and nonskid plating so that everyone can get there.  And yet no one does.

Where is the spirit of challenge?  Why not set the bar high?  Those that fall by the wayside will find another mountain to climb and perhaps rightly so.

Let’s just say no to ‘dumbing it down’. 

Let’s expect more and excuse less.

Let’s assume excellence and demand integrity. 

I think the results just might surprise us...

*For my non-numeric readers, the ‘Least Common Denominator’ is the lowest multiple of a group of other numbers (ie – for 2,3,4 the LCD is 12 as its devisable by all three numbers and no lower number exists that does this).  In life, it’s the lowest common point for a group or the last stop before the group loses connection.  It’s tying the group by the weakest link.

**And yes, I concede that its easy to say all of this when you’re a middle-class educated white woman.  I think the point is valid regardless. Determination towards excellence is not bound by circumstance nor measured on any worldly scale.  The point is to look up first and then reach down for others.

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Copyright © Dee Baldwin 2010 *Managing the Exception - When Dumbing it Down is Just Dumb*