Blogocentric Formulations

3 Star Debate

It seems like this current "3 Stars is Average" issue has inspired a little debate around WDC. On the one hand, the movement was suggested to remind people that 3.0 and 3.5 ratings for items are average, and people shouldn't consider those ratings to be disappointing or insulting. But it seems that, on the other hand, the question has been raised about whether this is, in fact, promoting mediocrity.

Tehuti, Lord Of The Eight 's blog addressed this debate and, apparently, referenced my own handle (or one similar to it) which says, "3 is Average & OK!"

Below is my response, which I've reposted here, as it hopefully explains my position on the issue.


I came across your blog entry today and figured I should weigh in, since my handle is the one with the "3 stars is average & OK!" tag. The reasoning for the "3 Stars" message has already been addressed by the previous comments... and the reason mine specifically says that 3 Star ratings are "okay" is because I wanted to promote the idea that it is acceptable to receive an average rating (not necessarily that average should be the goal).

While we may all want more, seek more, and attempt more, "average" is a reality for many people. By definition, "average" approximates an arithmetic mean... what's typical, common, or the norm. Sub-par and outstanding can't exist without average being the standard with which to compare those outliers... and as statistical bell curves teach us, there's a whole lot of "average" in the median 50% of a population.

I grew up in a small town where average was not okay. It was unacceptable to get a C (and often even a B) on a report card. If you scored 1200 out of 1600 on the SATs (well above the national average), you were a disappointment. If you weren't in accelerated math and English classes, but rather the "regular" classes for your grade, you were a failure. I graduated with a 3.83 GPA (all As except for one B every single semester) and was 38th in my class... 37 people in my graduating class of 400 (almost 10%) had better grades than that! Average was not okay.

The reason why I say "average is okay" in my handle is because I want people to know that average isn't a bad thing. It may not be something to strive for, but if you try something and end up performing adequately at the task, there's no shame in that. It means that you're normal... and if you want to excel, it's going to take hard work. My intent was not to say, "If you get a 3 Star rating, you should sit down, shut up and accept it." Rather, my point was to say, "If you get a 3 Star rating, there's nothing wrong with that... you're not abnormal or a failure."

To answer the question of whether I would tell my kids that Cs on a report card are okay, my answer is absolutely. I would try with all my heart to get them to aspire to achieve more, to work hard to achieve more, to make them want to have more... but if they came home and said, "This was the best I could do," I'll be damned if I'm going to let them feel like being average (and receiving a passing grade) is the same thing as being a disappointment or a failure.

When it comes to writing, for me, receiving an average rating or being told that my work is of average quality is merely a beginning. We can't all be outstanding all the time. Whether it's in comparison to someone else, or to ourselves, we all produce average work sometimes. It's then up to us to decide whether we have the desire, ability, and/or drive to keep at it and take it from average to exceptional. Writing is rewriting, as they say... and I doubt that maxim would have gained popularity if all writing were supposed to be outstanding right off the bat.

The message that I wanted to convey in my handle is that average, while maybe not something to aspire to, isn't a slap in the face either. Average is okay. In regards to WDC items, it's simply an opinion of the quality of the work as it currently exists. Nothing says it can't become exceptional later on.

Now if only I could get that all to fit into 30 characters...

And don't even get me started on "TLC"...


For anyone interested in reading the original blog post, you can find it here: "4/15/10" . What do you all think? Are these 3-Star messages promoting mediocrity?

Interested to hear other people's thoughts on this issue.