Tuesday, April 19, 2011

We're Creating A World Of Wimps

What is this - the crazy season? In the past week we've seen school districts ban chocolate milk and lunches from home, a city ban sodas, another city propose to ban Happy Meals, and now this. (Link courtesy of JammieWearingFool)
(New York) State bureaucrats have identified a potentially deadly hazard facing our children this summer - freeze tag.

That's right, officials have decided the age-old street game - along with Wiffle Ball, kickball and dodgeball - poses a "significant risk of injury."

And classics like Capture the Flag, Steal the Bacon and Red Rover are also deemed dangerous in new state regulations for day camps.

The Health Department created a list of supposedly risky recreational activities - which also includes more perilous pursuits like archery, scuba and horseback riding - in response to a state law passed in 2009.
Holy Crap. I spent most of my summers doing some or all of the above, plus more. BB guns, .22s, and fireworks come to mind, along with bike rides along ravines and swimming in rivers, lakes, and canals. Oh yeah, there were also dirt clod fights and King of the Hill sessions. Some of this took place in camps, but most of it was unsupervised. We all picked up some bumps and bruises, along with a few stitches, but no one was seriously injured. And we didn't spend all summer sitting around watching TV, playing video games, and getting fat.

Readers will be relieved to know that the NY nanny nazis deemed Frisbee, tug of war and sack races as safe.

Insanity. Plain old friggin' insanity. Why don't we just wrap all the precious little darlin's up in bubble wrap and be done with it?

Oh, wait...

1 comment:

JT said...

I have a scar from a dirt clod fight, construction site version. I broke my foot playing dodgeball in gym class in 5th or 6th grade. Rites of passage.

If those pansies think Frisbee, tug of war and sack races are safer than the 'dangerous' games - they aren't doing it right.