It has been 34 years since the last Triple Crown winner, which was Affirmed in 1978. It has been so long that there is a movement in horse racing circles to change the rules so it is easier to win a Triple Crown. They suggest taking more time in between the events (the three races are now run in a six week period of time) so the horses have longer to rest and recover. Others have suggested that the courses be shortened so the horses do not have to train so hard and can sprint to the finish line without the endurance it now takes. They complain that interest in thoroughbred racing is waning and something needs to be done to hype the sport. Their answer is to make it easier on the horses so winning the Triple Crown is not so hard. In other words, the dumbing down of America now applies to horses as well!

We have heard about the dumbing down of American education to make sure that everyone passes even if they don't know how to read or write. That poisonous thought has spread through all levels of our educational system. I have a friend who teaches graduate level classes at a university (which will go unnamed here.) My friend failed a student on a paper that was written without any complete sentences (you know, use a subject and a verb before you put a period at the end of a sentence.) My friend was called into a conference when the student complained that he was being too hard on her. When he explained to the head of his department the reason he failed the graduate student's paper, he was told that she had paid her tuition, so she must be passed.

Of course dumbing down does not stop there. Go to a youth sporting event where they are handing out participation trophies for being on the team. It does not matter whether your team won any games or whether you learned anything about the sport, it only matters that you feel good for showing up. There is a great lesson to be learned from being on a team, even one that loses all of its games. There is value in learning to work together, persevering when you are down, working hard to improve yourself and to learn to lead others in the midst of adversity. However, those lessons are not enhanced by handing out a participation trophy. In fact, they may be detrimental to the cause.

This sort of thinking impacts businesses as well. Have you encountered people who believe they are entitled to a paycheck for just showing up? I recently participated in a career day for graduating seniors at a local college. I was assigned to a group of students who would be hitting the streets to seek out employment. Some of them were very well prepared. They made great presentations, answered my questions, took criticism well and left me with the impression that they were willing to make some adjustments before they started to interview for their first career job. Others were not so well prepared. They showed me the fruit of half-hearted efforts from their course work. When I asked what kind of experience they had pursued in a job in their field of study, outside of doing class projects, many of them had not even attempted to get an internship. I knew the college staff well enough to know that they helped students find companies who offered internships. One young man in particular stood out (in a bad way) as a person who expected to be hired without putting out much effort. He believed that since he completed his classes he was entitled to a job. When did hard work get such a bad name? It started when we began to reward mediocrity.

I am reminded of a quote from the abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Douglass was a black man who escaped slavery in Maryland and became a key leader in the fight against slavery. When he escaped, he went to Ireland until he was officially declared a "freeman." His friends in Ireland urged him to settle there where he would be safe from prejudice or the threat of those who opposed his cause, but he rejected this notion and returned to America. Douglass spoke to anyone who would listen to his speeches on the evil of slavery. In many cases, he was chased from the podium. During a speech in Pendleton, Indiana, Douglass ran for his life when the crowd became hostile. He broke his hand in the melee, escaping to a house where a family of Quakers lived. Douglass had no formal education. He taught himself to read and write. He wrote books and published newspaper articles on the abolition of slavery. He urged Lincoln to make emancipation of the slaves a key issue in pushing for victory, even when many in the North were calling for Lincoln to surrender the cause in the wake of massive casualties and the prolonged years of fighting. Douglass said, "If there is no struggle, there is no progress." In other words, there is purpose in the hard things of life. They make us stronger and move us forward. So if you can't read, learn to read so you can be informed. If you can't write, learn to write so you can tell the world your story. If you face resistance, set your mind and your body to the task and push ahead.

The dumbing down of our lives has made us all a little softer around the middle and a lot more lazy when hard times come. When everyone thinks they deserve to win with no effort, winning loses its meaning. It is the same for people and thoroughbred racing horses too.

*Special note: The Triple Crown drought was lengthened by at least one more year when I'll Have Another was scratched from the Belmont Stakes due to an injured leg, which adds fuel to the "let's make it easier to win" fire. I hope the people who govern horse racing never give in to such demands, but odder things have happened in our time.

The Triple Crown Winners: From Sir Barton To Affirmed by Matt Gardner, SB Nation.com

I'll Have Another 4-5 favorite, The Road to the Triple Crown, ESPNgo.com

I'll Have Another to Start Belmont From Post No. 11, by Claire Novak, June 6, 2012, The New York Times Online

Frederick Douglass biography, Biography.com

Photo by Charles Mann