Dodgeball = bullying? Really? Stupidity reigns in America

By Mike Ullery
Chief Photographer
mullery@dailycall.com

Stupidity in America strikes again!

This past week, a New Hampshire school district, Windham Schools, banned the sport of dodgeball.
School officials cited bullying as the reason for banning the activity. The sport was banned after a parent allegedly complained. No doubt, this parent was probably a former wimpy kid who is now a wimpy parent.

I am so sick and tired of the wimpy, pacifistic attitude in our country today. Competition is a good thing. Okay, some kids are not as athletic as others. I get that part. But they should at least be required to get out there and give it a good effort.

Windham school superintendent Henry LaBranche reportedly stated, "We spend a lot of time making sure our kids are violence free." Violence, really? Since when is throwing a soft rubber ball violent?

What exactly are we supposed to teach our children about life? Is life without pain? Is life without risk? Is life without competition?

We are increasingly teaching a couple of lessons to our children that scare me to death. One, if you don't feel like doing something, you don't have to. Two, if you don't like something, ban it.

I have a news flash ... life is not that way. Or, at least it should not be.

A phrase that I heard frequently when I was growing up was, "survival of the fittest." That is the very basis of nature.

We had bullies when I was in school. I know first-hand, as most of us do, about being on the receiving end of bullying. I was one of the smallest kids in my school.

I can remember being pushed and shoved. I can even remember being shoved into a locker and the door shut behind me.

Did I like it? Heck no. Did I go home and cry about it? Heck no. I learned to stand up for myself. I learned to fight back when necessary. There is nothing wrong with fighting back.

Do you really want to stop, or at least curb bullying? Try teaching kids to fight back.

As I see it, if you want to read something about bullying into a harmless activity such as dodgeball, how about it being a harmless way to teach a kid to stand up for him or her self? They can submit and be quickly eliminated from the game, or they can fight back and learn how to block and defend themselves with a little pride. They can learn that taking the offense back to the opponent can even the odds, and even make them the winner.

As far as I am concerned, the parent who went crying to the school board should be told to butt out. The school board should be removed from office for failure to represent a majority of citizens.

We live in a time when the majority opinion is all-too-often shamed into silence by a vocal minority. It is no longer acceptable in the United States of America to stand up for one's self.

The minute someone dares to stand up and declare that they are going to buck the system that is dragging us ever-closer to a future as a submissive state, they are, themselves, immediately labeled a bully.

Our children need to be taught the difference between right and wrong. They need to learn to treat others with respect. That single word, "respect", is the most important life lesson we can impart on our children.

Far too many parents just let the "system" raise their children. All kids will face bullying. If they are raised to respect themselves, as well as others, they will learn to deal with it.

As for the parents who oppose dodgeball and the school officials who are too weak and sissified to stand their ground, you are all examples of the sad situation our country is in. None of you deserve to live in this once-great country.