I think he over-generalizes with the statement "we were all given medals for trying", I didn't grow up in that kind of environment but I have seen exactly what he is talking about. When I was about 16-18 I started to notice it, the removing of the possibility of failure which manifested itself as "everyone gets an award", "Removal of star roles in plays, transitioning to everyone having a small part so no one felt left out", "Everyone is a winner, there are no losers", etc. I have 2 big issues with this kind of thinking:
1) That's not how the real world works so you end up setting these kids up for failure
2) If you never fall down you never learn how to pick yourself back up
I completely agree with your statement about the texting. He hung out with this guy outside of professional channels multiple times (Pizza/Walks/etc) so why would he expect this guy to suddenly change his method of communication when it comes to job. Not to mention by his own admission it wasn't an awesome job, he was offering it a favor/because he liked the guy.
My dad is real estate agent and the majority of his younger clients (<35 years old) all text him concerning looking for a house/selling a house. I still remember the first time he got approval to put an offer on a house via text, he thought it was crazy at the time but now it's a regular thing for people to make a $250K-$450K decision via text. If anything I like doing it via text more because I have a full record of everything said. I am looking to buy a house right now and I communication with my agent almost 100% via text.
I don't think there's inherently anything wrong with teaching kids that you can do activities just for pleasure, personal improvement and bonding with others.
There's already plenty of opportunities to be competitive as it is and the real world does not always reward super competitive behavior. There is often more value in encouraging and facilitating others than in seeking personal glory.
1) That's not how the real world works so you end up setting these kids up for failure
2) If you never fall down you never learn how to pick yourself back up
I completely agree with your statement about the texting. He hung out with this guy outside of professional channels multiple times (Pizza/Walks/etc) so why would he expect this guy to suddenly change his method of communication when it comes to job. Not to mention by his own admission it wasn't an awesome job, he was offering it a favor/because he liked the guy.
My dad is real estate agent and the majority of his younger clients (<35 years old) all text him concerning looking for a house/selling a house. I still remember the first time he got approval to put an offer on a house via text, he thought it was crazy at the time but now it's a regular thing for people to make a $250K-$450K decision via text. If anything I like doing it via text more because I have a full record of everything said. I am looking to buy a house right now and I communication with my agent almost 100% via text.