Competence has taken a backseat to "feelings".

When I was going up, you kept score, you had a winner, and a loser. And when you were the loser, it made you want to try harder next time to be the winner, because, well, losing sucks.

But that concept is not politically correct anymore, no one wins, there are no losers, everyone is good at anything they try...perfect example, look at American Idol tryouts, all of those dreadfully awful singers think they are good, their families have led them to believe in a delusional world where they can sing...and they clearly can't, but because the adults around them never want them to feel what it is like to fail, or be let down, the lie to them...which is more screwed up if you ask me.

Same goes for people in the job force. If you suck at something, you need to be told that maybe this is not the correct profession for you. You might need to explore different avenues, find a job that more suits your personality and strengths, rather than one that highlights your weaknesses.

Not everyone is qualified to do everything out there. I know I can't be a surgeon, or a NASA engineer, but I don't try to do those things, I do what I am good at, a couple of my teachers that cared in High School helped me find a profession that worked with what I was good at, and I thank them, and just wish that more of them would do that now, but they fear losing their job, and that is a shame.

We will be a country of mediocre before we know it, and the rest of the world will pass us by in the process.