The Wussafacation of this country!!!

[Tipys]

Really WTF is going on. I am sure most of heard about the dodgeball ban but I think this is much worse.

I found this after looking for something else. I was looking for a news report that I saw about a school that has Banned touching. NO high fives, NO hugs, NO hand shakes, Zero touching. Because thats what leads to people getting hurt is what the princal of the school that started the rule. I think we are messing up are youth by letting this go on.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15316912/

[sag]

? we werent allowed to play chase games or anything like tag at my public elementary school and this was 15 yrs ago

[UglykidJoe]

I am really glad I went to school when I did, we got to play dodgeball with those semi hard yellow playground balls, man you could drill a person right in the gut, that was fun. If ya got hurt you got to sit by the gym teacher until you ready to rejoin the action. Sad sad day really.

[dm_gsxr]

Actually it's the staff taking the easy way out. Instead of using their heads and potentially getting sued, they go with zero tolerance. That way no one has to think and there's no chance of getting a lawsuit.

Heck, when my youngest was 6, some kid on the playground ran into her at speed and broke her collar bone. My oldest was on the swings and jumped off and landed face first into the asphalt losing her two front teeth (baby teeth fortunately). The dentist had to pick asphalt out of her sockets.

Slides and the playground are dangerous places :)

Carl

[dirkterrell]

Actually it's the staff taking the easy way out. Instead of using their heads and potentially getting sued, they go with zero tolerance. That way no one has to think and there's no chance of getting a lawsuit.


Agreed.



Slides and the playground are dangerous places :)
Life is dangerous. Great risk often carries great reward. No risk carries no reward. And that applies to individuals as well as countries. We used to embrace risk and rose to become one of the greatest countries ever to grace this planet. Now, we seem to have lost the desire to embrace it and I'm betting I know where that will lead us as a country.

Dirk

[mtnairlover]

Damned if you do and damned if you don't...IMO. It isn't wussification and I don't know what to call it either. If you look at it from the school's perspective, it's a way to avoid stupid lawsuits by people who are only looking for another way to make a buck. And public education is under-funded the way it is...so what the hell, take something else away that potentially could make some money-hungry parent sue.

Then, there's the other side of it...some kids are just freakin bullies and so to protect the innocent, why not wrap them all up in bubble-wrap...just in case, ya know.

Sorry, I'm coming from a time when we had all that stuff...dodge ball, soccer in the snow, hugging, fighting...oooohhh, kissing in the hallway...umber, shame, shame...tisk, tisk. I got nailed in the face when I learned about dodgeball, which drove me to learn how to catch even the hardest thrown balls and become one of the best players by the end of the school year. I also got nailed in the face with a soccer ball in 30 degree below 0 weather, in the snow...no kidding, not a fish tale either. That taught me how to become a helluva goalie.

Unfortunately, some people just don't see things that way anymore...life is becoming way to scewed these days.

[rforsythe]

Yeah, saw the no-touching thing on the news a month or so ago. Even the anchors were passively mocking them for being retards.

[asp_125]

We have become a nation of wimps. Let kids be kids. The way it's going we're going to end up with a generation incapable of defending themselves, having peer relationships, and competing in the dog eat dog world. We're gradually modifying our primal survival skills.

[Raptor]

No risk carries no reward.

Dirk

What kind of crazy talk is that? They can't have risks! That leads to moments of critical thought, which leads to individual recognition, which could offend someone else, which could bring the lawyers in, who could sue us...which might blah blah blah...

There can be no risk and no losers at the same time. Just ban losing and make everybody a winner! Yay! No risk for anybody, rewards for everybody...without that pesky "accomplishment" getting in the way! :scramble:

At this rate, people are going to be the Soylent Green before they're even dead and processed. Sad times. :(

[dirkterrell]

Just ban losing and make everybody a winner! Yay! No risk for anybody, rewards for everybody...without that pesky "accomplishment" getting in the way! :scramble:


Case in point: huge government bailouts for companies that can't compete. Aversion to failure is permeating our society and we are going to pay dearly for it.

Dirk

[Mental]

We have become a nation of wimps. Let kids be kids. The way it's going we're going to end up with a generation incapable of defending themselves, having peer relationships, and competing in the dog eat dog world. We're gradually modifying our primal survival skills.

Some peaple are. But the upside is, even if you are a moderatly decent parent and teach your kid(s) to grow up with a pair (ovaries or testies, they carry the same meaning) it becomes a buyers market for them. While all the other children are whining they didn;t get their way, your kid will simply be dictating the terms of their success.

Our nation will be screwed, but hey...

Oh looks, it happened all ready
http://www.gazette.com/articles/generation_50279___article.html/loss_new.html

I don't link that article to mock anyone who is currently looking for a job, but to highlight the attitude difference I have seen here vs this "why me" whiney crap.

There is somthing to be said about growing up with a few scars, a bit of measured humilation and learning that when you lose, even when you try you hardest, you do not get to go to Dairy Queen with the team. You only get rewarded when you win, and you don't always win.

What worries me more about this particular situation is the simple fact that human interaction involves contact. Its a fact of nature and now, in addition to being complete panseies, this school will be producing nureotic touch freaks.

[Mizzybeff]

As a future teacher I really think this is a VERY bad idea! yeah i know the whole not wanting to get sued but really come on. do u possibly think they r going to suspend a kid because he "touched" another one. how retarded :banghead:

[Spiderman]

We have become a nation of wimps.
If, by "wimps", you mean:
Even though accidents happen, and it's not necessarily anyone's fault, we're too afraid to take the chance that the "victim" (or the "victim's" family) feels compelled to hold somebody responsible and make them pay.
then I agree with you. :|

[Pandora-11]

Mtnairlover is correct in her assessment of the situation. It's less about individuals wanting to protect their children and more about making a buck. Individual responsibility is becoming a thing of the the past. Teachers' hands are so tied that often really good simple hands-on instruction can make one liable.
On top of that, the time taken to cover skills that used to be naturally taught at home has now also moved to the school system. This was sent to me recently:



Teacher Applicant













After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:



“Let me see if I've got this right.



'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.



'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.



'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.



'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.



'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.



'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.



'You want me to do all this and then you tell me...











…I CAN'T PRAY?!?!?!”

[MetaLord 9]

My finger's pointed at frivolous lawsuits that prompt every one and every entity to go into extreme paranoia. People's greed in the form of suing McDonalds over spilled coffee, suing schools over dodgeball "injuries" etc. is what's killing us. We, as a country, are being driven to an extreme. I can understand legitimate negligence and I do think it should be reprimanded or punished. However, by babyproofing the world and handing civil victories to frivolous litigants, we're basically telling everyone that they should be able to go through the world free of responsibility. If you hurt yourself driving with hot coffee, we should be mature enough to admit to ourselves that "Gee, that coffee was really hot. I knew it was really hot, but I continued to do something that could have resulted in spilling the coffee in my lap. Next time I should be more cautious," and not seek to blame others for our ineptitude.

We all know "pain is bad." It's one of the first lessons we figure out as children. Usually the next lesson is: "when I put my hand on the hot stove, pain happens. Maybe I shouldn't put my hand on the stove." Those who fail to grasp this simple lesson are the ones who usually fall victim to natural selection. By attempting to remove these necessary learning opportunities from out children's lives, we are robbing them of their basic freedoms to learn by trial & error. This is antithesis of the learning institutions to which we send our children.

[Mister BOYD]

Here's an idea.. Everyone just quit stickin you noisy (bleep bleep bleepety bleep) in other peoples business. Plain and simple.. there are way too many retards out there. Here's a thought.. if this continues.. what does this mean for professional football in another 15 or so years? lol

[Pandora-11]

Here's an idea.. Everyone just quit stickin you noisy (bleep bleep bleepety bleep) in other peoples business. Plain and simple.. there are way too many retards out there.


I wish it were just that simple. I can't do my job if students come to me ill, crying, abused, violent, scratching lice, bullied, hungry, on drugs, disrupting others, absent, and a myriad of other issues. That is precisely the reason that schools HAVE to involve themselves in the educating of the "whole" child...not to mention that I can be held liable if i hear a student talk about their lack of safety in any way and do not report it. i.e. - Heard a female student say the other day that she was meeting someone (stranger) she met on mySpace...reported it. Heard student say his dad struck him in the face....reported it. Student was approached by a red car and asked if she wanted a ride....reported it. It goes on and on. The liability that I carry on a daily basis is huge and burdensome... and we do it because we care about students and we face huge legal issues if we do not.
I doubt that we ever want to be a society that turns their back on other people's business when it comes to a child.
The dodgeball and the climbing games we all used to do is just a shame....but it's the same thing as above. I'm required to keep them safe FROM EVERYTHING. WHat else can I do?

[Mister BOYD]

Apologies.. I understand responsibilities on behalf of the teacher/student "relationship" and agree with you fully. Children are children.. not yet ready for the privacy of their own business. I'm speaking to the effect of lawsuits and opinions. Besides, dictation of policies in an educational institution is not a single persons fault/strength.. it has to do with the movement to PC-ism and "perfection" and what that does to a society/social psychology. There should definitely be some rule and regulation, but when is enough.. enough. When does common sense hold a little more weight and "other" people to a responsibility? I'm glad there are teachers like you who speak up when something so out of place happens. Keep up the good work.

[Devaclis]

If Parents would be parents then schools would not have to raise children. I am glad I went to school when I did and had parents that raised me. I can't believe how some modern parents treat their children. The reason schools are in the situation they are right now, with liability and limiting social access for children is that they are raising these kids. The parents really only care when something bad happens.

Drop them off and see them in 7 hours. Rush them to the soccer game so the coach can babysit them for 2 hours. Take them home and let the XBOX babysit them until it is time for bed. See you in the morning for about 30 minutes.

Rinse, repeat, then bitch when your hair falls out.

[Mister BOYD]

Lol.. right on Dana!

[Pandora-11]

Apologies.. I understand responsibilities on behalf of the teacher/student "relationship" and agree with you fully. Children are children.. not yet ready for the privacy of their own business. I'm speaking to the effect of lawsuits and opinions. Besides, dictation of policies in an educational institution is not a single persons fault/strength.. it has to do with the movement to PC-ism and "perfection" and what that does to a society/social psychology. There should definitely be some rule and regulation, but when is enough.. enough. When does common sense hold a little more weight and "other" people to a responsibility? I'm glad there are teachers like you who speak up when something so out of place happens. Keep up the good work.

No need to apologize at all...i fully understand the point of view and the dilemma and am perplexed by it as much as you....
Here comes the trite expression: "It is what it is.":)

[Mister BOYD]

No need to apologize at all...i fully understand the point of view and the dilemma and am perplexed by it as much as you....
Here comes the trite expression: "It is what it is.":)


Lol.. Euphamisms = sad but true.

[Kim-n-Dean]

I found this after looking for something else. I was looking for a news report that I saw about a school that has Banned touching. NO high fives, NO hugs, NO hand shakes, Zero touching. Because thats what leads to people getting hurt is what the princal of the school that started the rule. I think we are messing up are youth by letting this go on.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15316912/Holy shit!! I can't believe this is real!! Well, then again...

Kids already seem to be out of touch with only communicating through the internet and texting all day long. Now they can't even give each other a hug or shake hands?!?!?! Hell, even Dana still shakes my hand when he sees me :-)

This is going to be one hellova severely out-of-touch generation. Hell, they already think Grand Theft Auto techniques can be applied in real life...

Are parents extinct or something?!?! When I was a kid, I remember parents being around. What happened to them?!?

[dm_gsxr]

When I was growing up there were parents all up and down the street. If you did something wrong, it was a good bet that mom would know before you got home. It was a time when one parent stayed home. Now both parents work so neither are home when the kids get home. Remember "latchkey kids"? Hell, that's all of them nowadays but it was a key phrase back in the 80's. Since both parents work, kids are left on their own for part of the day and then stuff is crammed in during the hours when the parents are home.

I'm not sure there's much you can do about that now as in the double income has also increased the debt load on a family with a larger house and multiple cars.

Carl

[Pandora-11]

Are parents extinct or something?!?! When I was a kid, I remember parents being around. What happened to them?!?

What happened is that parents were given the idea that their job was to make their kids "happy". Happiness is elusive and ebbing. They became their friends.
IMHO it's a parent's job to make their kids "decent", not happy.
Happiness comes as a result of hard work and a job well-done.
I've taught in schools in SC,GA,FL,AL, and now CO. In my opinion, the state who most has it right is Alabama. Those parents insist on decency and will back a teacher to the hilt. Alabama often takes a hit for education, but they are NOT behind and understand personal responsibility.

[RajunCajun]

I agree with most of you. But, I think our country is definitely becoming a bunch of pusses. Parents don't teach their kids accountability, teach wemon to be caring and respect themselves, teach boys to be men and to be accountable and responsible and teachers can't raise kids for the parents. As the country gets more liberal, America looses its balls and it's morality. We should all just turn gay and frolic around the rain forests in our pink, popped collared shirts, make love and peace instead of war and give our country to the next bully... Then I guess we'll see how great thing "could" be....

[Mister BOYD]

I agree with most of you. But, I think our country is definitely becoming a bunch of pusses. Parents don't teach their kids accountability, teach wemon to be caring and respect themselves, teach boys to be men and to be accountable and responsible and teachers can't raise kids for the parents. As the country gets more liberal, America looses its balls and it's morality. We should all just turn gay and frolic around the rain forests in our pink, popped collared shirts, make love and peace instead of war and give our country to the next bully... Then I guess we'll see how great thing "could" be....


Lol.. you have a pink collared Shirt? HA.. I refuse to own one myself. Agree with you.

[TurboGizzmo]

I am really glad I went to school when I did, we got to play dodgeball with those semi hard yellow playground balls, man you could drill a person right in the gut, that was fun. If ya got hurt you got to sit by the gym teacher until you ready to rejoin the action. Sad sad day really.

Ohh I remember playing with the rubber air filled kickball style balls, left a good sting if hit right, those were the days. Oh and wall ball...oh and battling on the monkey bars! I would proudly sign a release to have my kids to experience it.....(well one day)

[asp_125]

I guess it makes us old that we remember the good ol days. :D Remember when you could punch somebody and all you'd get is detention and then the ass-whupping from dad? I can tell you we learned to respect the belt.

[MetaLord 9]

Ohh I remember playing with the rubber air filled kickball style balls, left a good sting if hit right, those were the days. Oh and wall ball...oh and battling on the monkey bars! I would proudly sign a release to have my kids to experience it.....(well one day)
Hells yeah! I remember falling off the damn monkey bars (yes, I know. The irony is profound here... ) and busting my chin open. We'd play dodgeball and kids would come in from recess with "Voit" stamped on their foreheads. Back when "Smear the Queer" was a legitimate playground game and not a hate crime.

[asp_125]

Those red rubber dodge balls that made a nice "ping" sound when they hit someone on the head? :up:

[MetaLord 9]

I remember that our playground was iron monkey bars & spiderweb over hard dirt & asphalt. Nowadays its rubbermaid playsets over a bed of pillows

[Mister BOYD]

We had a "rocket ship" made from 3" bars that you could climb up the inside and outside of. Whoever climbed to the top on the outside was the kewlest. They ripped that down about 6 yrs ago.

[Kim-n-Dean]

Hells yeah! I remember falling off the damn monkey bars (yes, I know. The irony is profound here... ) and busting my chin open. We'd play dodgeball and kids would come in from recess with "Voit" stamped on their foreheads.These flashbacks are making me tear up.


Back when "Smear the Queer" was a legitimate playground game and not a hate crime.Amen to that!!

[Devaclis]

When you could have a 3-legged race and not offend anyone with only 1 leg?

[Devaclis]

Hell, I got ducked taped to a telephone pole when I was the new kid in the neighborhood. We just moved in when I was about 10 or so. The neighborhood kids made a circle around me, holding hands, and singing "ring around the rosey". At the end of each line one of the kids broke loose, punched me, then rejoined his/her buddies.

All I could think was "Someone call the cops!" and "Man, I can't WAIT until another NEW kid moves in" :)

[= Buckeye Jess =]

It frightens me when I have a parent bring their young son into the ER for stitches and they are absolutely freaking out. I used to always tell them something along the lines of.."it's ok...he's just being a young kid..or an American kid!" Suddenly there are dolts with offspring out there that take offense to that comment...I mean..wtf??

It is called growing up and when in the world did growing up become a bad thing?

My parents would beat the ever living tar out of me when I stepped out of line but not once did I ever doubt that they loved me more than anything in the world. There were many times I swore I hated them, but I eventually knew they were right. My Dad made me walk up the stairs to get the damn belt that he was gonna tan my hide with...but he will still always be my best friend in the world. Nowadays the parents that are trying to be buds with their kids are only alienating them and screwing the rest of the world over.

[Mental]

It wasn't just monkey bars.

It was welded black steel that climbed to dizzying heights over a bed of concrete. In the summer it blazed in the sun after a few hours and in the winter it was cold and slick. I remeber the feel of cold wet metal on the playgound in November.

Ask me how I know (and why all of you remember.)

Becuase it was a basic application of the laws of physics and how they related to us as kids even before we were exposed to the equations. It was pratical experience and knowledge. It was interaction with our enviroment. That same way you felt the sting of a fist when you stood up to that bully and the knowledge before you saw your first fight on TV that fisticuffs were usually conducted through tears of rage and that fighting was not something that should be done unless you were good and pissed. That either you learned to get picked on, or developed thick enough skin when teased about certian things. Practical knowledge of basic human psychology before you ever read a textbook on the matter.

More than giant panseys, we are raising a generation incapable of interacting with the world or peaple around them in the most basic way.

I wonder if the last generation of real bad ass British foresaw the fall of the empire? I wonder if the streets of Rome were littlered with middle aged peaple watching the next generation ruin the world with an unwarrented sense of entitlement?

Becuase I truely believe this is the last generation that will be able to say they live in the greatest country on earth. They won't even know how it happened.

[RajunCajun]

^^^Hmmm, very interesting... I agree...

[Tipys]

More than giant panseys, we are raising a generation incapable of interacting with the world or peaple around them in the most basic way.

I wonder if the last generation of real bad ass British foresaw the fall of the empire? I wonder if the streets of Rome were littlered with middle aged peaple watching the next generation ruin the world with an unwarrented sense of entitlement?

Becuase I truely believe this is the last generation that will be able to say they live in the greatest country on earth. They won't even know how it happened.

This is the outcome that truely scares me.

[Spiderman]

How timely... got this via email last night (not sure how true it is, it's not even listed in snopes... at the very least, it's wishful thinking!):

This is hilarious - no wonder some people were offended! This is the message that the Maroochydore High School Queensland , staff voted unanimously to record on their school telephone answering machine . This is the actual answering machine message for the school. This came about because they implemented a policy requiring students and parents to be responsible for their children's absences and missing homework. The school and teachers are being sued by parents who want their children's failing grades changed to passing grades - even though those children were absent 15-30 times during the semester and did not complete enough school work to pass their classes.

The outgoing message:

Hello! You have reached the automated answering service of your school. In order to assist you in connecting to the right staff member, please listen to all the options before making a selection:

To lie about why your child is absent - Press 1

To make excuses for why your child did not do his work - Press 2

To complain about what we do - Press 3

To swear at staff members - Press 4

To ask why you didn't get information that was already enclosed in your newsletter and several flyers mailed to you - Press 5

If you want us to raise your child - Press 6

If you want to reach out and touch, slap or hit someone - Press 7

To request another teacher, for the third time this year - Press 8

To complain about bus transportation - Press 9

To complain about school lunches - Press 0

If you realize this is the real world and your child must be Accountable and responsible for his/her own behaviour, class work, homework and that it's not the teachers' fault for your child's lack of effort: Hang up and have a nice day!

If you want this in another language, move to a country that speaks it.

[= Buckeye Jess =]

How comical! I had to pass this along to my Mom that works in a school district - they will surely all nod in agreement and chuckle.