Unfortunately, the “effortless perfection” project is not intended as a joke, as might first appear. The aim “to normalize feelings of failure and struggle among students” — and the cloying seriousness with which it is presented — will strike most alumni as ludicrous and unintelligible. Advising students that comparison to recipients of awards “is really dangerous,” with a view toward making “a more ‘failure-friendly’ campus,” betrays serious intellectual confusion. It is a recipe for resentment, alienation, and self-pity. The notion of “effortless perfection” is yet another spurious conceit cultivated by postmodern professors who have too much time on their hands and no serious scholarly work to pursue.