Political Correctness Instilling Pacifism In Children
By Doug Hagin (05/06/03)
Over the past few years many of my columns have dealt with zero-tolerance policies in schools and how these policies are hurting kids. It is quite clear the forces of political correctness are indoctrinating our children with a message of pacifism, while frankly punishing kids for being kids.
The cases are all too familiar, children suspended or expelled from schools for playing cops and robbers, drawing a picture of a soldier, bringing water pistols to school, even for pointing a chicken tender and saying “Bang.”
The cases of similar incidents could easily fill months and months of my column. The school administrators, driven by fear of school shootings, have enacted rigid zero-tolerance policies, which are obviously being enforced with zero-common sense. And there is more behind the intentions of these policies than preventing school violence.
The trend is to teach children that all violence is always wrong. Certain schools have even gone so far as to ask students to sign pledges never to use a weapon in self-defense or in defense of others. Students who refuse are flagged as potentially violence prone and dangerous. Imagine teaching young people that self-defense is bad and undesirable. Imagine teaching them defending themselves against an attacker makes them no better than the attacker.
It would seem our schools are more intent on raising a generation of wimps than educating our future leaders. Not only is self-defense being maligned and discouraged but things like competition and innocent games at recess are being attacked as well now.
In the Neshaminy School District in Bucks County Pennsylvania, playtime is being restructured to be more sensitive, non-violent, and inclusive. The plan being implemented there is being called the “Peaceful Playground Project”. The districts eight elementary schools will adopt this policy in September.
Some highlights, or should we say lowlights of the “Peaceful Playground Project” include peace mazes, the banning of children games which are deemed competitive or non inclusive. Team captains are also going to be banned as they, apparently might make some students feel badly or left out.
Now on the surface these new policies might seem to be a bit over the top and a little foolish, but once they are examined it becomes clear they are very over the top and just plain stupid.
Take the new “peace mazes” for example. These will be painted on the playground and kids who argue or disagree with each other will be required to walk the maze. Along the way they will learn the seven steps of conflict resolution. Sounds pretty useless doesn’t it? Whatever happened to a teacher taking a minute to straighten the children out? Or for that matter what happened to letting the kids work it out themselves?
After all in real life there will not be a politically correct peace maze to stroll through to avoid disagreements. Imagine future business leaders, lawyers, and police looking for a peace maze when they hit a rough time.
Games like tag are to be banned at these schools because they are too difficult and competitive for some students. Goodness can’t have children getting their feelings hurt can we? Because surely when they grow up no one will ever hurt their feelings.
New games, which stress inclusiveness, are to be taught to students. There will be “hoop ball”, in which students bounce a ball back and forth making sure it bounces inside a large hoop. Man won’t this really excite and entertain the children? And what if a student fails to bounce the ball in the hoop? Will they get angry and have to walk the peace maze? Or will hoop ball be deemed a danger to the children’s self-esteem and be banned?
Then if students find hoop ball to difficult there will be the politically correct version of tag. “Motion Pictures” will replace tag on the playground. This game involves the children picking a picture of a spot on the playground out of a basket then running to tag the spot.
This game is better than tag according to Marcy Spigler, the district’s violence prevention coordinator. It still gives them the exercise. They're running. But we can avoid things like how hard do you tag someone. Nobody gets pushed over. You can play it by yourself," Spigler said. Now wait just a minute here. I thought these games were inclusive? How is playing alone inclusive? Sounds pretty elitist to me. Some child might get a bruised ego and we can not have that.
This plan for peaceful playgrounds is no more than another way to limit children’s natural desire to compete, learn, and have fun. Discouraging kids from being kids does not decrease violence or help instill harmony. It just limits their learning and will serve to hurt them later.
Now here is an idea for Ms. Spigler and her ilk, a common sense maze perhaps?
(Printer friendly version) Email: Doug Hagin
