A Nation Of Wimps.. Coming Soon To A Future Near You!

The struggle for human equality goes back hundreds and even thousands of years. We've seen modern civilization cross the thresholds of racism thanks to the help of certain key figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and even Abe Lincoln put the wheels in motion that eventually abolished slavery in the United States. From the feminist movements for equal rights between men and women to the anti-war protests of Vietnam, the majority of our planet's inhabitants have always been behind the idea of equality. Its truly a beautiful thing when you think about it. However, there is a limit to everything in life and I think this time they're going a little too far.

In the past year or so, many areas of the U.S. in particular have been enforcing new rules in school to ensure that every student is 'equal' and the element of competition is eliminated. Most of the schools have banned the once revered sport of dodge ball. Why? Just so that the poor kid that gets picked last doesn't have to go through the emotional distress of being the last man standing. Well, I've been that kid.. eagerly waiting for my name to be called by one of the dodge ball captains, only to face the humiliation of realizing I was among the unwanted table scraps of the schoolyard. Did I cry? No. In fact, I was so worked up about being picked last that I went out there and dodged balls like I was on a mission. The feeling of rejection managed to push me to the limit of my physical abilities and I was never picked last again. Sure, I was still among the last five or so standing, but that pushed me to do even better and eventually make friends with some of the 'regular captains', which insured me an even better draft pick. And what about the kids who just couldn't do better no matter how hard they tried? Well, they decided that sports just wasn't their thing, so they hit the books and now they're all successful businessmen, engineers and doctors making tons of cash and driving around in BMWs! Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. We need that balance in the world. If everyone is equal in that sense, how will we decide who goes on to become the next Tom Brady or who will be the next CEO of Microsoft? By eliminating all competition in schools, you're simply saying there are no winners or losers.. just people. Well, up until now it was the winners who went on the pursue their dreams. Those who were good in sports went on to become professional athletes or phys ed instructors. The one's who always scored over 95 on every exam went on to become president of a major corporation because that's what they are good at. Both discovered their talents way back in elementary or high school and followed through with it. How else will you find your talent?

We're not letting kids be kids anymore. The game of 'tag' has been banned in most schools as well. No more tag in the schoolyard! Can anyone out there remember growing up without having played at least one game of tag? Another thing that bothered me was that some schools in Texas announced the banning of high-fives and handshakes on school property. HIGH-FIVES!! Are you kidding me? That's the fundamental basis of comradery right there. In every sport, for every team effort, high-fives and handshakes are the symbol of unity. Its always been considered unsportsmanlike conduct not to shake hands with the other team after a game and now they're banning it altogether. You're not even allowed hugging in some schools. That means, kids in high school who are starting the dating phase can't hug their girlfriend or boyfriend on school property, nor can they hold hands either. I can understand drawing the line at making out, because often times thats just not what you want to see on your lunch break. But, holding hands and hugging are banned? How else are the little dudes going to work on their game? By the time they get old enough, most guys won't even know what to do with a girl or how to approach them. We're eliminating most of the social skills that kids need to learn to get through the later years in life. Everyone's so scared of each other now. 'No physical contact of any kind' is how they're branding it. One school even went as far as stating that "..hugging and holding hands are acts of affection that should be reserved exclusively for places such as airports and hospitals."  Unreal!

An elementary school in Indiana recently sent a letter home that parents must sign and enforce. Guess what this one's about? All boys in elementary school are REQUIRED to sit down and pee when they go to the bathroom! That's right. They're removing all urinals in the boys' bathrooms and every boy now has to sit down to pee like a girl. Guys have been standing up to pee since the dawn of time because we can. Every woman out there wishes they could do the same and if they could, they would. Believe me, I've asked around a lot! This whole idea started at a school in Norway where both boys and girls shared the same bathrooms. Even then, I don't think its necessary, but a little more acceptable. As for the school in Indiana, one parent claimed the idea may have stemmed from some of the women in the community who thought it might be a great way to condition the males to sit down at all times so that later on in life, their significant other won't have to deal with the toilet seat being in the upright position. That's just ridiculous.

Some parents are even lobbying for Sesame Street to rename the Cookie Monster the 'Celery Monster' because they don't want to give kids the idea that cookies are good for you. They're also trying to change the name of the show from Sesame Street to 'Sesame Park'. Again, they don't want children to get the idea that its safe to play in the street. Okay, I agree that cookies aren't good for you and you shouldn't play in the street, but thats why mommy and daddy are there.. to teach you these things. Or are they? A recent study into the matter found that most of these changes were brought about by parents who are too lazy to raise their children properly or too busy to devote their time to it, so they want to leave it up to the schools and television to do the job. You know what? Don't have kids then! What's wrong with you?

Granted, the majority of all this is just happening in some tiny rural community in the United States. However, what with the Montebello affair between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico meeting to standardize the way we live across this great continent, I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of this coming our way in the future.. the results of which could be disastrous! A friend of mine who works at a radio station in the States said they had hired an intern to help out on the show. This job is usually without pay and requires you to aid in preparing a daily radio program. I did the same thing for 2 years just to get my foot in the door and moved up from there. That's the payoff for the free work. You're gaining valuable experience that you can't even pay for at an Ivy League school. On the first day this kid came in, he was asked to do something, to which and the kid replied, "I don't have to do that. You do it!" Okay buddy, you're out. Pack your stuff and go home because if you're not willing to put anything into your future, its just not going to happen. I also heard about a manager in a store who recently hired a young college kid in the sales department. On his first day, the kid started to cry on the sales floor because he just finished pitching a new TV to a couple for 20 minutes and they walked out without buying it. This is all a result of the equality thing. If we're telling kids there are no winners or losers, they're not going to try their best because they have this idea that everything will be fine no matter what. When they finally get out into the real world and see what its like, they're shocked and don't know what to do so they just lose it. Is this the kind of guy or girl you want running your company 20 years from now or running the country for that matter? Well, its coming and if we don't stop it now, we're all in big trouble.

Let your kids be kids.. let them play and have fun and discover the world around them. Take the time to teach them and don't leave it up to television or the babysitter to do your job. Encourage them to excel in whatever interests them and help them to reach their goals as best you can. After all, they are your legacy.