Politically Correct Bullshiat

In the latest politically correct assault on the “good ol’ days,” a Colorado elementary school recently banned the game of tag at recess.
I hope I’m not the only one that finds this to be completely asinine.
The school cited complaints from parents that their children had been chased and tagged even though they weren’t playing. As I recall from my schoolyard days, it’s difficult to chase someone who isn’t running away, and even more difficult to declare someone “it” when they aren’t playing the game.
Looking back on fond memories of schoolyard games I can find a few instances where I chose to play some game other than tag. This didn’t stop others from assuming that I was playing just because I was on the playground, but when I got tagged I simply kept doing whatever I had been doing and ignored the tagger.
There seems to have been a movement in the last 30 years towards a kinder and gentler world which for the most part is a good thing. But the fact is that a few sharp edges can teach lessons that are important later in life.
If you’re the slow kid on the playground then you learn quickly that tag probably isn’t your game. So instead you play a game you are good at like dodge ball if you can throw. Except that’s also getting banned – maybe not without good reason.
Personally, my favorite playground game was called “Smear the Queer.” Despite its very non-politically correct name, it was a great game. Everyone tries to tackle the person who has the ball, the “queer.” Once that person is tackled, the ball is thrown to/at someone else and the game continues with another target.
This game ended with a district wide ban when I was in fifth grade. Somebody had lost a tooth at another school and hence we were deprived of yet another game.
The Colorado school says that they still encourage racing games, but tag will not be making a comeback any time soon. The trouble I see is that a race is only fun once or twice until you realize that the same kid is winning every time. After that you might as well just stay at the starting line.
With rowdy and calorie burning games like tag being banned, is it any wonder that childhood obesity is an ever increasing problem?
I suppose you could say that I “grew up” during the 90’s when the safety craze was already in full swing, but I was here in the Midwest where we pride ourselves on having a little bit more common sense than the coastal states – especially California, New York and Florida.
To the parents: I know that your child is the most important thing in the world to you, but sheltering them from all harm won’t help them make their way in the world. It’s best for them to learn early that there is almost always someone out there who is faster than they are, and if they don’t pay attention then they’re going to get tagged.
If they learn these things early then they’ll be saved a lot of grief later on in life when their “beautiful and unique snowflake” bubble is popped by the fact that winners and losers are a fact of life and they had better work their butts off if they want to avoid the latter category.
I realize that no one who was involved in the Colorado tag banning is likely to read this, but those who do can take it as an example of what to avoid at all costs. The more fun outdoor games we take away from our children, the more we encourage them to sit inside and become couch potatoes, and no parent wants that.