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The pussification of America

leckert

leckert

New Member
Is it just me, or are we turning our children into oversensitive, tender morsels for the world to devour?

I remember as a child we would beat up any kid we saw wearing a bicycle helmet! We played sports, and they counted. Score was kept and victory was celebrated! We had discipline in our schools. A student wouldn't think of cursing at a teacher, or even talking back to one.

And when did keeping score and assigning grades become a bad thing? How do we teach our children to win in life when their soccer team doesn't have the opportunity to lose because the league doesn't keep score? (don't participate in that league anymore, by the way!)

I was paddled more than once in school. And I deserved it!

When did softball become such a life-threatening activity? I have to provide my daughter with a helmet that has a face mask and a friggin' chin strap! Why not just put them in a friggin suit of armor and stand them behind a brick wall?

My God, is a bloody nose or a broken bone such a catastrophic event that it would cause irreparable mental damage to a child? I think some of my best learned lessons in life came as a result of a broken bone or a bloody nose.

Okay, this turned into a bit of a rant, sorry. I'll get to my real question:


Does anyone else think that we are turning our children into hyper-sensitive cream puffs, or am I just being an ass?
 
I would tend to agree with you. Although I don't think it's just limited to children but adults to. Everything is becoming so safe and so sanitised. We live in a risk adverse society.
 
Wabbit said:
I would tend to agree with you. Although I don't think it's just limited to children but adults to. Everything is becoming so safe and so sanitised. We live in a risk adverse society.
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I haven't noticed it as applied to adults? I guess this would be things like seatbelt and helmet laws?

We definitely have a society adverse to risk, but I was always told that without risk, there is no gain!
 
Wabbit said:
I would tend to agree with you. Although I don't think it's just limited to children but adults to. Everything is becoming so safe and so sanitised. We live in a risk adverse society.
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And, I would take this to mean that it isn't strictly an American thing?
 
I think people go way over the top with safety. And take a look at the space shuttle. OK, it's a tragedy when things go wrong and some people die but you have to take risks. Think back to the age of sail when people set out into the total unknown with the chances being very good they would never return. Today our society is against taking a chance and taking a risk. In oder to live rather than exist you must take risks. In order to grow and prosper as a society I think you must also take risks. We can't be afraid to fail.
 
No question about it. We seem to want a guarantee that everything will be okay, and if it isn't, we want to hold someone responsible for it.


Good thing Fernand and Isabella didn't require such a guarantee! Good thing Neil Armstrong didn't require a safety net!

Right on, Wabbit! You're not so silly after all! :D
 
There are many cases in "real life" where you learn more from losing than you do from winning.

Learning how to lose is a very important part of growing up.

It's impossible to remove failure from life, so why try to remove it from the learning experience?

Part of the problem is the stigma that gets associated with failing. How many times is the word "loser" used in an insulting fashion?

If you lose and learn from it, you actually win don't you?

Are we creating over-protected cream-puffs....I think yes.
 
My nomination for least favourite phrase in the English language goes to....

"Due to Health and Safety reasons we will do longer be able to <insert enjoyable activity>..."
 
I agree we're being overprotective. For another example, watching TV commercials I get the impression you're a bad mother if you don't use a cleaner with bleach additive to sanitize your house.

Gee willikins, my parents would be arrested for child abuse and neglect nowadays. When I was little, I'd stand on the front seat in the car between my parents, and when I got too big for that, I sat in the back seat unrestrained (gasp)! We shoved the seatbelts and their anchors under the seats because they were uncomfortable to sit on. We had a station wagon and fought over who'd get to be in the cargo area on long car trips, again unrestrained. The back window would be open (pre-air conditioning), it's a miracle none of us flew out that window. :rolleyes:

We rode bikes without helmets and knee and elbow pads; my brothers skateboarded similarly unprotected; and our baseball games were *gasp* death wishes. Yet somehow we managed to survive.

I think that child car seats are necessary now, with more and more reckless driverson the roads feeling "safe" because their cars are supposed to withstand crashes at x mph. If I had small children they would certainly be in seatbelts and car seats. But there is such a thing as going to extremes. Children (and adults) can fall down the stairs in their homes-should we be wearing protective gear inside out homes, too?
 
Kenny Shovel said:
My nomination for least favourite phrase in the English language goes to....

"Due to Health and Safety reasons we will do longer be able to <insert enjoyable activity>..."
Click to expand...
Amen to that. So many activities are no longer run simply because of the insurance costs. That's a tragedy. Suddenly local sports clubs are having to fold rather than bankrupt themselves paying for insurance against every freaking 'this-might-get-you-sued' eventuality. It's not their fault!!

I think the problem comes from the litigious society that the western world is embracing. You can really sum it all up by the warnings on coffee cups that say, "Caution: Contents may be hot".
 
Miss Shelf said:
I agree we're being overprotective. For another example, watching TV commercials I get the impression you're a bad mother if you don't use a cleaner with bleach additive to sanitize your house.

Gee willikins, my parents would be arrested for child abuse and neglect nowadays. When I was little, I'd stand on the front seat in the car between my parents, and when I got too big for that, I sat in the back seat unrestrained (gasp)! We shoved the seatbelts and their anchors under the seats because they were uncomfortable to sit on. We had a station wagon and fought over who'd get to be in the cargo area on long car trips, again unrestrained. The back window would be open (pre-air conditioning), it's a miracle none of us flew out that window. :rolleyes:

We rode bikes without helmets and knee and elbow pads; my brothers skateboarded similarly unprotected; and our baseball games were *gasp* death wishes. Yet somehow we managed to survive.

I think that child car seats are necessary now, with more and more reckless driverson the roads feeling "safe" because their cars are supposed to withstand crashes at x mph. If I had small children they would certainly be in seatbelts and car seats. But there is such a thing as going to extremes. Children (and adults) can fall down the stairs in their homes-should we be wearing protective gear inside out homes, too?
Click to expand...



Right on, Miss Shelf!

We used to stand up in the back seat and wave at cars out the back window!

My daughter doesn't wear a helmet on her bike, unless we take a "trek" out on the big roads.

I think sometimes we try too hard to be "parents", when a hug would be sufficient!
 
Kookamoor said:
Amen to that. So many activities are no longer run simply because of the insurance costs. That's a tragedy. Suddenly local sports clubs are having to fold rather than bankrupt themselves paying for insurance against every freaking 'this-might-get-you-sued' eventuality. It's not their fault!!

I think the problem comes from the litigious society that the western world is embracing. You can really sum it all up by the warnings on coffee cups that say, "Caution: Contents may be hot".
Click to expand...

I'm with you, Kooky. It seems everyone is looking for the "golden ticket" in the Wonka bar, and corporations are seen as bottomless pits of cash waiting to be plucked.
 
Another point I wanted to make...


I mentioned this as I spammed a Motokid thread...

We seem to have given control of our lives to our children!

When did this happen?

I have heard some "experts" in psychology saying things like we should discuss desired actions, and consequences with our children, and allow them to participate in the process.

:confused:

When did it matter what children thought about their punishment? How did the opinion of a 10-year old become so vitally important that we must now consult them before we punish them? How did prepubescents become so insightful that they should be consulted on their curfew?

What happened to "do it because I told you to or you won't see the light of day for a month"?
 
leckert said:
And, I would take this to mean that it isn't strictly an American thing?
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No, it's not an American thing ( though it's FAR worse there ) but it's a British thing also.

Quick anecdote: Went to a theme park once while in the U.S We parked and a kinda very slow open bus would ferry people from the parking space to the theme park. The bus moved about phew WALKING PACE.

Before you get on the driver says though a microphone "EVERYBODY STAND WELL CLEAR!" Oh yeah right like ahhhh I'm going to get run down! Oooh it's too fast! I can't see it coming :rolleyes:

Then: "We are stopping" Errr yeah I see that.

then: "EVERYBODY ON BOARD! NICE AND SLOW!"

Then: "HOLD ON TIGHT FOLKS" Moves away at walking pace.

then while moving "BE CAREFUL NOT TO FALL OUT!" yeah ... right...

Just way over the top. You would never get that here. Also dodgem cars only go around one single direction and you are not allowed to hit people right on :rolleyes:

Again you wouldn't get that here. That's kind of silly. The safety thing is taken way to far. As I say, it IS like that here in the UK too just not as bad. I'm sure it will become like that.

Europe is not so bad. Last year went for a cable car ride up a mountain and the cable car had no windows :D
 
leckert said:
What happened to "do it because I told you to or you won't see the light of day for a month"?
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Are you advocating using fear, guilt, strength, power, and physical & emotional pain as a valid parenting tool?
 
Motokid said:
Are you advocating using fear, guilt, strength, power, and physical & emotional pain as a valid parenting tool?
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As opposed to bribery, emotional pleading, and wishful thinking?

Absolutely.
 
leckert said:
As opposed to bribery, emotional pleading, and wishful thinking?

I've never used those myself. Plain blackmail works every time -light of day thing included here-. I know them, always know what things are most important to them, so...

Some of the old fashioned methods don't work, though. When I was at kindergarten, the teachers' favourite was 'we'll send you to the mice room'. It didn't really exist but it was supposed to be a dark cupboard full of mice. I wasn't scared of the dark or mice, though.

Overprotection is bad. Kids grow up thinking someone is going to be there holding there hand and telling them what to do for the rest of their lives.
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