I wish I were making this up...

Okay, have you heard this one?

Educators in Great Britain are petitioning to eliminate the word “failure” from the school systems. They believe that if a student is told he has failed, it will turn him off from education. They would like to substitute the phrase “deferred success”.

Deferred success!! Let’s continue the trend of making life as soft as possible. To see how weak this phrase really is, imagine this exchange from the original Star Wars:


(Darth Vader has just learned of Admiral Ozzel's big blunder, and activates a viewscreen)

Admiral Ozzel: (appearing onscreen with Captain Piett) Lord Vader, the fleet has moved out of lightspeed and we're preparing to...

(Ozzel stops, and suddenly begins to choke, clutching at his throat)

Darth Vader: You have failed me for the last time, Admiral.

Admiral Ozzel: (gasping for breath) Actually sir…it’s not a failure…it’s a …deferred success…

(Darth Vader releases him)

Darth Vader: Oh, well, never mind then. Good work, Ozzie!!


I know the “civilized” world has decided that everything needs to be safe and palatable for the easily offended, but come on.

Everywhere I look today, I see bicyclers of all ages cruising along with their helmets and kneepads. When I was a kid, wearing a helmet was likely to actually cause an injury, because all the other kids would beat the living shit out of you for wearing such a sissy piece of equipment.

Maybe America is so war happy because we’re trying to compensate for a lack of something? You know, like strength. Just a thought.