The Wussification of America

If you're a decade or so older than I am (and male) you will probably remember playing "cowboys and Indians" or "cops and robbers" and if you're around my age it is probably more likely you played "rebels and stormtroopers". You might have even run around the yard with your cap gun six shooter or a Han Solo blaster pistol. It's very likely you might have even doodled pictures of your favorite heroes fighting the bad guys or even run around at recess pretending to shoot them.

It seems that every couple of weeks those of us that aren't big "fraidy-cat, the sky is falling, let me hide under my desk" wusses have our sensibilities assaulted by a report of a school district somewhere suspending some poor kid because he or she took a plastic butter knife to school to spread peanut butter or, in the most recent case, drew a stick figure holding a gun (OMG!).

Link to article: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/NEWS/711150327

The world is a big place, bad things (like the columbine school shooting in 1999) are going to happen and with 24 hour instant news from anywhere in the globe not only will we know about most any big tragedy, but it will be brought into our living room and personalized so that we can share in the sad moment with those affected hundreds or thousands of miles away. As our population grows, it's reasonable to expect that the frequency of bad things will also increase. Double your population, maybe double the occurrence of horrible things happening to people?

At what point did we become so terrified, so over-the-top protective that any 6 year old kid who draws a picture of a gun is assumed to be some kind of threat or in need of psychological help? How in the world did we end up with school boards and administrations chock full of idiots who are not only spending us into high-tax oblivion (that's a different story) but have to so closely monitor the content of student's doodles for fear they might crack under the pressure of dodge-ball someday and shoot somebody? Heck, they can't even play dodge-ball at some schools anymore because it's too violent or unfair to the kids aren't as good at it?

When I was kid, I could come home from school, get lost playing in the woods or in a vacant lot until dark. Mom could throw us all in the back of the station wagon or van without benefit of a $100 car seat. We could play cops and robbers and play shoot each other without need for psychological help or paranoid school educrats suspending us. And I may not have been part of the cool kids club, but I loved dodge-ball and was good at it too.

I hear stories about every kid getting a trophy just for showing up at sporting events and participating. Wow, that's a sure way to fire up the competetive juices so that an individual will strive to do better or learn to earn something. How many raises, promotions and accolades do you think they will earn in college or at work just for showing up and not making waves? Not many I'm sure. We insult those who actually earned real trophies by being first, second or third in whatever sport, educational or artistic endeavor they've pursued. We sadly water down their accomplishments for fear of someone getting their feelings hurt?

How many people in our society were motivated by not being part of the cool club at school and knowing that someday, they could work hard and make it in business, acting or music if they couldn't do it in sports, cheerleading or by being that cool, funny kid everyone likes?

We have enough wusses in our society. In fact, I'm convinced many of them hide out in places like Congress. I guess there is one place where you can make a lot of money for not doing anything significant to earn it.