It Can't Be True, Government Schools Ban ... Musical Chairs?

Toogood Reports ^ | April 2, 2002 | Debbie Daniel

[Dialup Llama]

I never liked musical chairs because it teaches that for there to be a winner someone else must be made a loser. Only in certain artificial societies like corporations is such a thing true.

On second thought, maybe it is good training. It teaches you that you'll have to kick some people to the curb in order to receive recognition. In a company like Intel with its 'normed' system of evaluation, you had better be able shove aside the lower 20%.

[mattdono]

I, I, I can't even believe this.

I am sincerely at a loss of words...Un-Phuqing-Believable!

[Dialup Llama]

>What a wonderful memory!…until now.

Yes I have many fond memories of institutionalized education. The green two tone, insane asylum like color scheme, the prison like architecture. All fond memories.

[Arthur McGowan]

"Musical chairs" is not appropriate for a public school because it does not teach cooperation. A more appropriate activity is teaching sodomy, because this not only teaches tolerance for diversity, but also teaches the children how to cooperate.

[Trust but Verify]

How sad! My kids think I'm crazy when I tell them I had a better childhood than they did. They have so many material things I did not have since I grew up in a very large, lower middle-class family.

What we did have as kids was tons and tons of kids to play with. Dozens. That was when there were a lot of families with 5+ kids. We had kick ball and dodge ball and kick-the-can and Red Rover. We had freedom to wander (as long as we were home for dinner) without our parents having to worry about us.We had penny candy!

I would not trade my childhood for all the trappings of today's adult-run, ultra-PC society.

Simon says, "Let kids be kids!"

[tm61]

I was always offended by musical chairs and feel I am owed reperations for the stigmatization I suffered under a repressive music department. At least we owe it to the children to ensure they all embrace a muli lingual, all inclusive, non specist game of "harmoneous platforms". Remember, it takes a village.

[tcostell]

I remember an episode of the Simpsons where Bart had been moved into a remedial class. They played musical chairs but with 8 players and 10 chairs. I remember his expression when the music stopped, everyone sat down and the teacher yelled "Yeah! Everyone is a winner." Shameful.

[THEUPMAN]

looks like the little weenies that always lost are making the rules now ....

[Stand Watch Listen]

indexing

[Right_in_Virginia]

Are you being serious?

[ArrogantBustard]

I never liked musical chairs baseball football golf racing skeet riflery IPSC ANY COMPETETIVE SPORT because it teaches that for there to be a winner someone else must be made a loser.

In all of these activities, noone is "made" to be a loser, except by himself. Competition determines who, on any given day, is best at the competed activity. Repeated competition encourages losers to hone their skills, so that next time they might be winners.

[boris]

Can we replace Musical Chairs with Twister?

--Boris

[scottinoc]

Besides, tag is a form of sexual harassment, and duck-duck-goose is offensive to the web-footed community

[Dialup Llama]

>I never liked musical chairs baseball football golf racing skeet riflery IPSC ANY COMPETETIVE SPORT because it teaches that for there to be a winner someone else must be made a loser.

Again these are artifical competitions. Sports does not equal life and its not really good training for life except perhaps for a corporation where workers must prance like trained dogs which comptete for the approval of the master.

[scan58]

Good article. I especially liked the lesson at the end.

It never bothered me to beat someone to the chair — I was very competitive. But now that I hear it encourages exclusion, I am saddened that we are teaching children it is bad.

My husband comes home from work and actually MAKES the kids or the dog get out of his chair. I wonder if CPS or PETA should be called?

[Exit148]

Recess! That's what I want to get rid of! How many kids were left waiting for their turn at whatever, when the bell rang and they had to file back into class. All those dejected kids! Was that a proper atmosphere for learning?

Who among you were in line, ready to jump into the swinging rope, when that bell rang? Who among you were just about to tag that last kid when you had to stop because of the bell?

Oh ---the despondency of it all! The crestfallen little kiddies. Their little psychies ruined forever because of unfullfillment. And all because of recess. Recess should join the ranks of Musical Chairs and remove that building block of childhood incompleteness.

[scan58]

Good point. I am sickened at how morality in society is doing the flip-flop.

[HamiltonJay]

Musical Chairs, Red Rover, Dodge Ball and Kick Ball... these are the games and memories of childhood... games that will never be played in adulthood and remain reserved to that brief time when the world is vast open and all possibilities are possible. Why is someone banning them? They are great and simple joys... Competition is not evil... I hate liberals.

[scan58]

How sad! My kids think I'm crazy when I tell them I had a better childhood than they did.

How different than when most of US were young and our parents kept reminding us of how much better we had it than they did.
I understand.