David G. Schwartz is a prolific gaming and casino historian. I have reviewed several of his books in this space over the years, including his latest backgrounder on the history of Las Vegas: “Something for Your Money.” While that topic has been amply covered by dozens of other works, his stands out as extremely well-researched, but at the same time very readable.
Offering up insights about our industry used to be his full-time gig, beginning as a casino security officer in Atlantic City and later as an instructor and Ph.D. at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas focusing on hospitality, gaming and casinos.
But for the last four years, he has a new and seemingly unrelated role as UNLV’s “Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner.” In case your dictionary recall doesn’t include “ombuds” or “ombudsman,” Wikipedia translates: “a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation.”
As Schwartz says on his website, “I have found that my work as both an ombuds and mediator has drawn on my past as a historian studying gambling. I’ve found that both conflict resolution and gambling are, at their core, about confronting the unknown. Both, too, have elements of skill and random chance.”
With that background, he recently wrote a piece on his website about “Thumps.” The full title of his latest is “Learning Among the Thumps.”
Schwartz begins with the strange admission that he is re-reading the classic “Moby Dick.” Most of us do not have fond memories of having to work our way through that tome in high school. Using that classic novel as a background, he goes on to discuss some of the basic issues of learning and our sometimes reluctance to learn: “I wouldn’t say it’s my habit to lord it over anyone as an instructor, whether it’s in a classroom or on the mats, but wow Melville nails how it feels to go from reigning as the intellectual superior in the room to fumbling your way across new ground.”
Ishmael (who tells the story of Captain Ahab’s obsession with the white whale) rationalizes that the presumably “lower station of sailor isn’t so bad, as the occasional thumps aren’t such a big deal, because everyone is bossed by someone.” The “universal thump” as Melville puts it, “is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder blades, and be content.”
Schwartz continues, “While getting physically thumped isn’t necessarily part of every curriculum, that willingness to absorb shocks to our sense of self is almost always necessary. When we are really learning, we open ourselves up to having our entire worldview flipped around. This disorientation can be pleasantly stimulating (think someone riding a rollercoaster) or violently disconcerting (think of an unrestrained passenger in a rollover collision). Whether we are strapped in or not, being discombobulated like that demands a degree of vulnerability.”
While most of us won’t have to suffer the trials of going to sea or climbing the high rigging of a three master, we are facing the “disconcerting” new realities in gaming of artificial intelligence, online platforms, cashless commerce and a battlefield of cyber warriors.
Schwartz again says, “Ishmael being ‘thumped’ comes back to him putting himself in a position to learn. While he has gone to sea before, he’s never been on a whaling ship, so he is fine with being at the bottom of the food chain because he can satisfy both his curiosity and need for adventure. Doing this, in his words, causes ‘the great flood-gates of the wonder-world’ to swing open, which is a wonderfully vivid way of saying, ‘I am ready to learn’.”
Schwartz continues, “It might be easier to open ourselves up to that vulnerability when we are young; maybe we have nothing to lose. Though one could also argue that a more seasoned person, with accomplishments to fall back on, is better equipped to handle the thumps that a new situation brings, metaphorical or not. Whichever way you’re inclined to lean, it’s important to remember just how difficult it is to be vulnerable at any age, and to give a little grace.”
That last paragraph gets right to the heart of why I think this blog is relevant to our world on the casino floor:
- We veterans have to be patient and understanding of those new to the industry and sincerely adopt a “pay it forward” ethic to honor those who helped us get through those difficult early years.
- And, importantly, with the challenges our industry is facing, we need to be open to consistent learning (even if it takes us out of our comfort zone).
We need to welcome those “thumps” just as much as those below us to make sure we remain relevant and don’t get left behind.
One final question to ponder about Schwartz is why would anyone without a looming homework assignment, voluntarily re-read “Moby Dick”? What’s next, David, “War and Peace” or “Les Misérables”?
You can find more of Schwartz’s opinions and insights at his website here.
