Give me a fucking break about today’s society raising far more violent children and the whatnot. Bullying in schools, or kids playing exceedingly rough, is nothing new. I’m sure that kids in the 50’s did not throw highly packed iceballs, or put rocks in snowballs :rolleyes:. In fact, no child ever did anything cruel or physically painful to another child on a playground before 1971!! Musta been nice living in Rockwell-world.
Those commenting on the obscenely litigous state of our society have it as close to right as possible here. I’m sure there were many members of the faculty who were tired of dealing with kids who got hit in the face with an iceball and ended up crying, and wanted to stop them from having snowball fights. I’m sure there were some who dealt with freaky overprotective parents who wanted to sue everything in sight. Both of those are good reasons for the school not to allow snowball fights, and discipline students caught fighting. I bet that grade-schoolers do not have a good concept of “assault charges”, but they would sure hate to have their parents called and serve detention. I think that in setting a rule like that and enforcing it, a school has fulfilled their obligation to students and parents.
Mr Lassam: Were you and these boys throwing snowballs? The Young Mangetout: (silence, stares at shoes) Mr Lassam: Well boy? The Young Mangetout: (very quietly) Yes sir Mr Lassam: What? The Young Mangetout: (With resignation, but quaking with fear) Yes sir Mr Lassam: Why were you throwing snowballs? The Young Mangetout: (quietly) Don’t know sir Mr Lassam: You. Don’t. Know.
(very long silence) Mr Lassam: Don’t do it again, do you understand? The Young Mangetout: (Almost silently) Yes sir
Hrrm, sounds pretty close to how snowball fights were treated when I was in elemntary school.
This was … damn a very long time ago like 17 years ago.
I was in Alaska, so we get a pile of snow for a very long time. And it’s very easy, even ACCIDENTILLY, to make a snowball with a chunk of ice in it. Or if you want to, make one with a rock in the middle. So we had rules against snowballs.
It seems like to me 99.99% of the problem is with the parents. The scream that the schools aren’t doing enough… then they scream that they are doing too much, when actually taking time to raise their kids would solve most of the problems.
Lucki, while nothing liquid came squirting out an orafice, I did laugh at loud at your second point.
When I was a wee-lass, I was minding my own business getting a drink from the water fountain at school. Apparently, the bully behind me took the “save some for the fishes” ground rule for water-fountain-drinking just a tad too seriously and decided to knock my head into the porcelain frame. A knot as big as a golf ball and purple and that bland yellow was involved. My mom wasn’t around and I sat in school until a teacher had the time to drive me home after school ended. I think bully got called to the principal’s office.
In retrospect, do I think something more should have been done? I dunno, but I know that when I hear about some of the stuff that is being prosecuted today, I can’t help but think of my benign little assault story and feel like things are so different today. But, you’re right. Rockwell-world it never was.
I said it but was recklessly exaggerating. I apologize to snowballs everywhere, pipes, both the smoking kind and the plumbing kind, as well as anyone who may have been frightened by my use of the word “bomb.” I also apologize to the colloquial use of the word, as in “you’re the bomb!” as it was never my intention to thwart expressionism and complimenting in general.
Getting the police involved sounds excessive, and I question the willingness of individual teachers and employees to keep an eagle eye out for flying snow, but I think the impulse behind it is sound. If kids want to engage in this time-honored youthful playfulness, they can pelt each other with snowballs somewhere else. It’s not like the school grounds are the only place in the world that has snow.
Uh, Suspenderzzz, it’s not a question of what you or I think ought to be a crime.
If I propel some object at you without your prior consent, I have committed the common law crime of assault. In most states this has been incorporated into the statutory penal law. (Note that it doesn’t matter if it hits you.)
This has been a “real crime” since before Columbus discovered America.
While I think such ideas can easily be overdone, it might be worth your while to find out exactly why such a rule was put into effect (as, for example, a full-of-students schoolbus was pelted with snowballs as it came into traffic in front of the school, and was nearly involved in an accident). If one of my grandkids had been on that bus, you can bet there’d be a Pit rant, and from quite the opposite perspective!
In the good old days we weren’t allowed to throw snowballs either. Only we were never in danger of being arrested. I did get the strap from the principal for it several times. But, yes memories were short in those days. I’ll bet the memory of a night in the slammer will be a bit longer
Also banned in my school (15-20 years ago. Now I’m feeling old) for the reasons listed above, especially rocks (we hardly got any snow - snowballs were bound to have rocks in them, intentionally or not.
And, like many, many other people have said - this has nothing whatsoever to do with PC.
I’m all for protecting kids from being hit in the face by snowballs. I can even get behind a school policy that forbids throwing snowballs, and punishes same.
Where I get off the train is calling the cops and pressing assault charges against grade-school kids. This is the school’s abdicating their responsibility of maintaining discipline. Just wash your hands of it, and let the cops sort it out. I bet the cops are just thrilled.
I’m reminded of bad parents threatening their three-year-old: “Eat your vegetables, or we’ll call the cops and have you thrown in jail.” :rolleyes:
Just to clarify something. We are not talking grade-school here, but high school. As to the frequently cited rocks, there aren’t too many stray rocks lying around on the sidewalks of New York City. You are more likely to get a hidden dog turd in a snow ball than a rock. Also, we are not strictly speaking about “on school grounds”. The school has no outdoor grounds to speak of. We are talking about the public sidewalk in front of the school.
Well, if we are talking about high schoolers, off school grounds, then the high school should darn well call the cops. The school staff has just witnessed an assault - and off school ground, probably can’t do much about it.
Rocks are easily accessible in Minnesota. In New York City I can imagine that kids could bring rocks to school to embed in snowballs. Or other objects that could potentially injure.
Its one thing when Johnny is eight to call the cops because he assaulted another kid - that is perhaps a little over the top. Its quite another thing when Johnny is sixteen.
"We interrupt this program for breaking news. Please everyone stay calm. Do not be alarmed.
THERE IS A SNOWBALL FIGHT IN PROGRESS IN LOWER MANHATTAN.
We repeat: DO NOT BE ALARMED. THERE IS A SNOWBALL FIGHT IN PROGRESS IN LOWER MANHATTAN.
The authorities are on the scene and we understand several arrests have been made. The local precinct is doing all it can to restore civility. Our reporter Tricia Macademianut is on the scene. Tricia, what is the status…"
like 17 years ago.
