Posted on 08/14/2007 5:25:39 AM PDT by Turret Gunner A20
A clown has had the smile wiped off his face after being told he couldn't use balloons in his act because children might be allergic to latex. Barney Baloney said he was told by bosses at a supermarket where he was booked to appear that he should leave his balloons at home because of the potential for allergic reactions.
The 47-year-old entertainer, also known as Tony Turner, has previously had to ditch his bubble-making machine because he could not get public liability insurance as companies assessed that youngsters might slip and hurt themselves.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Disgusting!!!
Are they kidding???? I’m stunned into silence on this one. Why don’t we just take our kids and lock them in their sterilized rooms until they’re 30??
Simple. If you kids are allergic to latex, keep ‘em away from latex balloons. Oh, never mind. That would require responsibility and we cannot have that in a nanny state.
They might trip over his big shoes too
And his big nose could be offensive.
I went to see a clown at the supermarket. He was a nice man in a suit and tie who sat on a box, surrounded by children. He didn't do, or say anything. He just sat. And we watched. For about 45 minutes. It was a wonderful time. I was mildly offended, however.
In other words, lobbing off heads with swords is not considered violent.
It’s amazing that we of my (youngish geezer) generation actually lived through balloons, bubbles and DDT!
“He said he was also told by one venue he could not twist balloons into the shape of guns for fear of encouraging youngsters to commit violence, although swords were deemed acceptable”
Although it’s ok to twist baloons into phallic symbols, because we have to educate the chillllllllldren.
And.. cap guns, bb guns, toy soldiers, girls played with Barbie and boys played with GI Joe... We had peanut butter sandwiches in school and said the Pledge of Allegience to the American flag every morning. We didn’t have “Black History Month”, “Women’s History Month” nor did we watch Algore films in Science. We had to do chores and my mother would pop you in the mouth for using the word “crap” (child abuse by today’s standards). Teachers paddled us for talking in class - a good deterent because my Art teacher had a mean right arm!
Man, it is a wonder that those of us who grew up in previous generations arent totally screwed up!
Article here: http://tinyurl.com/36zm5w
Gosh, I’m wondering how we made it through childhood now. We brought peanut butter sandwiches to school, played with balloons, our toys had sharp edges, we played outside in the dirt (and sometimes skinned our knees) - not to mention that a lot of our toys had small parts. I could go on & on.
This is getting ridiculous - there is hardly anything in this world that could be said to be 100% safe! Guess what? Life kills! If you live long enough - you will die!
This is craziness!
I was on one of the last airliners to pass out peanuts a while back. Suddenly they announced that someone on the plane had “peanut allergies” so we were instructed not to open our peanuts and they’d be by to pick them up again. Of course I had a pocket full of these peanuts from previous flights, etc. We weren’t allowed to eat peanuts on the flight. They acted like it was anthrax or something worse.
“Pleasant childhood memories from 2027:
I went to see a clown at the supermarket. He was a nice man in a suit and tie who sat on a box, surrounded by children. He didn’t do, or say anything. He just sat. And we watched. For about 45 minutes. It was a wonderful time. I was mildly offended, however.”
Try out this alternative childhood memory from 2027:
I went to see a clown at the supermarket. He was a nice man in a suit and tie who sat on a box, surrounded by children. He handed out latex balloons to children who were watching his show. Another child, 2 years old, who was not watching the show but instead just entering the store with his Mom to buy milk, sees the children with the balloons, runs over to them and tries to take one. He is not old enough to know that he is allergic to latex and balloons can kill him. He goes into shock, and the ambulance is called. What happens next?
Aah, memories.
It is as bad as anthrax for a peanut allergic person. It can kill the person, even if just by ingestion/inhalation of peanut dust.
Here's where I got it:
http://www.drudgereport.com/
"This is a health and safety issue.
"We have banned balloons because latex is used in the manufacture of them, and this can trigger an allergic reaction in some children. We always have the welfare of children at heart.''
What about all of the other things kids might be allergic to & that are found in a supermarket? Is Tesco clearing the aisles of all the wheat products, stuff with eggs in them, anything with peanuts/ peanut products, fresh flowers....?
I don't remember this being such a HUGE issue when I was a child. Is it on the increase or just another media-driven crisis item?
It's a conspiracy, I say! ;-)
(Actually, I have been able to tolerate the clowns we see sometimes in Cirque de Soliel, but I think it's because they are more "Old World" in their costumes. I know...I'm just strange.)
INCREDIBLE!!!!! But, I'll bet they didn't let you play tag at recess, did they?
It is on the increase. They do not have an explanation yet. My 2-year old son is allergic to peanuts. We found out when I tried to give him PB on bread. He broke out in hives all over his face and had labored breathing. We took him to the emergency room, where he got an IV and very intensive care by the doctors.
Media can’t make that up.
People that have allergies that are that bad - need to live in a plastic bubble - because there is no way we can “cleanse” the earth of all things that might hurt somebody.
I’m sorry to say this, but in nature (the way GOD created it) weak animals are left to die, or are eaten by stronger ones. In this way, the species are kept strong and able to survive. It’s called survival of the fittest. It’s the way it is in this universe.
When we distill everything down to purity, we will have no defenses when we encounter something bad. We are foiling mother nature’s way. People that have life-threatening allergies to common substances need to be kept away from them - the rest of us should be able to live our lives normally.
Check with your lawyer. See if it's too late to sue.
We are not asking you not to live your lives “normally”. We are only asking that you fully understand the consequences of an allergic reaction. If you still get offended by minor inconveniences which protect the allergic individuals and help keep them alive, then I cannot help your soul.
Interesting that you describe yourself as a Christian, yet espouse “survival of the fittest” as a way to justify needless deaths of people with allergies. Hmmm.
Oh and don’t dare get around children after eating a peanut butter sandwich. One of them might be allergic and go into convulsions. God forbid you get near Muslim children with bacon on your breath, either.
I understand the consequences of allergic reactions - I’ve had them myself. I got poison ivy one time & my throat started closing up - I had to go to the emergency room. When I was a kid, I used to get hives all the time from playing outside in “stuff”. Luckily, I made it through childhood & now I am stronger for it. The human body is designed to create it’s own defenses to viruses it encounters. A dermatologist told me once that we can be allergic to something one day & not be the next day & vice versa. Our bodies are designed to toughen themselves up over time as we grow up.
It’s hard, if your kid has severe problems like that - I guess if I had a child that had problems like that - I would do everything I could to protect him - but I wouldn’t expect all other children to have to do without things they are OK with because of my kid.
BAN CLOWNS, I say. Along with, swings, electric trains, wgons — and don’t forget hop scotch, checkers, marbles, and tiddly winks and other killer games.
*** ERP ***
Only 20% of peanut allergic kids “grow out of it”. I am not a militant in this cause, believe me. We do everything we can to protect our own kid, and, in fact, we rarely make the allergy an issue in public. What disturbs me, however, is the fact that people simply refuse to understand that this is a deadly condition, and simple precautions (like peanut rules at schools) can allow our kid to enjoy a somewhat normal childhood. Yet people get all bent out of shape about the rules.
I’m not asking anyone to “do without”. Just be considerate in common sense ways.
Colorophobia—it’s nothing to CLOWN about.
Unless you're 100 years old - almost ALL deaths are needless and could have been prevented in some way. That's just life. It's hard.
Yes, I'm a Christian, and that gives me the strength to get through each day of this hard & sometimes ugly life here on this earth that GOD created and put me here to live on. I am thankful each and every day for it! This place earth, that GOD lets me live on - is filled with "terrible beauty". Why did GOD create bad things? I don't know, these are mysteries we struggle with here during our brief time on this earth.
I personally feel that you can't know good, until you know what evil is. You can't know light without darkness. You can't know cold without heat. We are put here for a reason, and we need to make the best of it and try hard every day to live as our Creator would wish us to. But I can look at the earth and the creatures we inhabit it with & see that this is the way GOD wishes it to be. It is true, "that which does not kill us, makes us stronger".
Thanks be to GOD.
I am terribly allergic to many perfumes. Once while at Mass, a lady who seemed to have bathed in a scent that made my throat close up sat next to me. I just moved... When going into department stores where they want to spray samples of the stuff on your arm, I just politely decline without making a fuss...
Come to think of it, I have a hard time going into some of these “home decorating” stores because of the potpourri scent. Do I demand they clean their air so I can shop there? Of course not. I just buy my stuff somewhere else. I have lots of friends who use the stuff in their homes to an extent I cannot visit. They know it and come to my house to visit. Not a problem. I agree with AliceWonders. We are concerned about children with terrible allergies (such as the ones to peanut butter and honey). But, can we really expect the rest of the world to forgo peanut butter and their favorite perfume just because someone around might be allergic?
Some kids are really scared of clowns. Ban ‘em all!!
Except that "peanut rules at schools" thing. You are a militant on this subject. Here and on other threads, you are like a dog with a bone on this subject.
It is wrong for you to think that other people need to modify their thoughts or behaviors in any way so that your family can live the life that they want.
Thanks.
ME TOO! When I was a kid, there was this guy that used to dress up as a clown in our local parades. He would always run over and grab cute little girls standing in the front and pick them up and handle them all over and kiss them (I know, I was one of them). He would also come regularly to the public pool and sneak up behind and pull cute little girls under the water (I know, I was one of them & I couldn’t swim either). I don’t know what ever happened to him, but I think he was a pervert & I’ve been deathly afraid of clowns ever since.
There’s also John Wayne Gacy........
Seems to me like you are the militant. You take this so personally. I didn’t know that our military men fight and die so that kids can eat peanuts anywhere they want in public schools regardless of the health risks to other kids. I don’t see that in the Constitution, either.
By your response, it is evident that you either looked up my past posts (which would be pathetic of you), or you were actually on a another thread which had to do with allergy issues, which means that you yourself are a dog with a bone on this issue.
Oh,wow! What a relief to find the other person who survived a carefree childhood in the days long gone now! I was afraid I was the only person alive who had lived in a house without the doors being locked, ridden unrestrained in a huge car without padded instrument panel or air bags, played with numerous sharp objects, ran with scissors, rode my bike without wearing a helmet, and did a thousand other things, including enjoying a clown turning latex balloons into instruments of death and destruction, and lived to be an adult.
Take care of yourself, we must be a very limited population.
Researching the person you are debating with is pathetic?
Who knew?
APf
I’m serious, not trying to be a smart ass. Hasn’t this always been a problem, and if so what has changed?
A middle school in MA had to remove all equipment, including the paint on the walls that may contain Latex, because a kid who may or may not be attending the school in two years is allergic to Latex. Which should make the Condom subject even more interesting.
Yes, it is, because it has nothing to do with the debate. Probably the more likely scenario, however, is that this guy actually was on the other recent thread regarding allergies, where I also posted.
The researchers don’t know yet. They only know that the cases have skyrocketed recently.
Amen brother!!
A friend of mine had the misfortune of owning that painting.
Don’t tell anyone, but I used to go hunting with my Dad when I was about eight years old, and got a 410 shotgun of my vewry own for my tenth birthday.
It's obvious that you aren't a politician.
Oh please, you were not on one of the last flights to serve peanuts. Airlines are still serving them unless they get a prior request not to. Anyone who is that allergic to peanuts would inform the airline when they bought their ticket. I am not personally acquainted with any children who are allergic to peanuts but I do know a 55 year old woman who is.
I’m 51 years old and never heard of anyone being allergic to peanuts until about three years ago. Then suddenly 3 out of every 10 kids seemed to get sick on peanuts!
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