Whack Attacks
Jun. 19th, 2004 10:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrdreamjeansI just finished reading a review in the Houston Chronicle about the movie "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story". As far as I am concerned anything to do with dodgeball is a dog of a story. Just reading about another misguided Ben Stiller film, particularly this one where violence as humor is celebrated, makes my blood boil.
Why? Because, it takes me right back to physical education classes in Junior High and High School in Houston and the lack of imagination that my school district employed in making sure the students were fit.
In my district east of Houston, our PE curriculum consisted of two activities: softball played outdoors in the heat and humidity, in our bare feet and in grass filled with stickers; or dodgeball, where even the coaches participated, taking turns with the bullies in humiliating any student who was trying to figure out how slamming a heavy mush ball into various parts of a weaker student's anatomy was sport.
I wasn't a coward, or weak, but I didn't throw well or accurately. I also was quick and often was the last one "dodging" 15 or so balls; I soon learned to cut deals with my friends. They'd hit me with a ball right at the beginning and I'd say "Oh, I've been hit, I'm out" and go sit on the bleachers with the other smart kids who had figured out that it was more fun watching the bloodbath on the court from the sidelines.
I saw fellow students hit in the head so hard that they were knocked out; I saw noses bloodied; I saw guys hit in the balls so hard they were writhing in pain on the wood floor for several minutes. How is this sport? At best, it's a trash sport. What lessons were we learning? Certainly, it wasn't how to compete honorably.
I had to wait until college to get fit and understand that I really liked to play sports and was actually good at them. I also understood that we could have played volleyball or soccer with those very same balls if the faculty had had some imagination.
As the Chronicle reviewer states, "whaling on people.... is perhaps an offshoot of our reality-TV era of public humiliation and gladitorial pain. When someone gets bashed or smashed, why, that's entertainment." It's not entertainment to me. It just brings back difficult and sometimes painful memories.
The participants, particularly the recipients of the bashing and smashing, were scarred in ways beyond the crude game of dodgeball. The lessons taught? From my point of view - That it is ok to pick on the weak or the different; that is more important to be cruel than to be kind...especially in victory; that coaches will often use a sadistic game for their guilty pleasure and as a way to get out of having to actually inspire students to be healthy and fit!
I realize I am acknowledging a prejudice here. I think most coaches are simply the grown-up bullies of dodgeball. The sad thing, particularly in Texas, is that these same coaches become principals and administrators and show the same lack of imagination and ability in running our schools....a sad state of affairs. Dodgeball! ARRRRGH!
Why? Because, it takes me right back to physical education classes in Junior High and High School in Houston and the lack of imagination that my school district employed in making sure the students were fit.
In my district east of Houston, our PE curriculum consisted of two activities: softball played outdoors in the heat and humidity, in our bare feet and in grass filled with stickers; or dodgeball, where even the coaches participated, taking turns with the bullies in humiliating any student who was trying to figure out how slamming a heavy mush ball into various parts of a weaker student's anatomy was sport.
I wasn't a coward, or weak, but I didn't throw well or accurately. I also was quick and often was the last one "dodging" 15 or so balls; I soon learned to cut deals with my friends. They'd hit me with a ball right at the beginning and I'd say "Oh, I've been hit, I'm out" and go sit on the bleachers with the other smart kids who had figured out that it was more fun watching the bloodbath on the court from the sidelines.
I saw fellow students hit in the head so hard that they were knocked out; I saw noses bloodied; I saw guys hit in the balls so hard they were writhing in pain on the wood floor for several minutes. How is this sport? At best, it's a trash sport. What lessons were we learning? Certainly, it wasn't how to compete honorably.
I had to wait until college to get fit and understand that I really liked to play sports and was actually good at them. I also understood that we could have played volleyball or soccer with those very same balls if the faculty had had some imagination.
As the Chronicle reviewer states, "whaling on people.... is perhaps an offshoot of our reality-TV era of public humiliation and gladitorial pain. When someone gets bashed or smashed, why, that's entertainment." It's not entertainment to me. It just brings back difficult and sometimes painful memories.
The participants, particularly the recipients of the bashing and smashing, were scarred in ways beyond the crude game of dodgeball. The lessons taught? From my point of view - That it is ok to pick on the weak or the different; that is more important to be cruel than to be kind...especially in victory; that coaches will often use a sadistic game for their guilty pleasure and as a way to get out of having to actually inspire students to be healthy and fit!
I realize I am acknowledging a prejudice here. I think most coaches are simply the grown-up bullies of dodgeball. The sad thing, particularly in Texas, is that these same coaches become principals and administrators and show the same lack of imagination and ability in running our schools....a sad state of affairs. Dodgeball! ARRRRGH!
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Sports
Date: 2004-06-19 09:50 am (UTC)While I have not had that kind of unimanagative PE classes where I went to school, we did have one PE teacher, who's name I can't recall off hand taught girls PE in Junior High and had been there since I think the late 60's. She always wore gym sweats and often made people be intimidated of her.
Speculation was that she might've been a miserable lesbian, no real sign she was ever married and was often bitchy and rather rude.
I had her for homeroom one year and all three of my sisters had her when they were in Junior High. They all disliked her.
I was picked on by the other kids, but not by the PE teachers thankfully.
All in all, I can see your point and I don't think Dodgeball is a good game to be playing. I'd rather be playing 4 square or chinese jumprope, or bamboo sticks or something like that. Never liked to run, disliked other sports, although archery was kinda fun.
THis movie doesn't sound interesting to me either. Most flat out comedies are not funny in my mind. Most are just juvinile humor, masquarading as entertainment.
Sorry this is so long...
Date: 2004-06-19 12:44 pm (UTC)When I was a kid, my parents "made" me go to what my (at the time) church called "Boy's Brigade". You think school bullies were bad, I totally agree with you, but what I found almost worse were church bullies, for that seemed like a rather ironic thing to me. They were the guys who are bullies at school, but at church... and they know they can't be mean at church, but "luckily" (said as sarcastically as I can) "Boys Brigade" helped give them ways to be so, in the "sport" of dodge ball.
First you need to understand what the "Boy's Brigade" was. I would sum it up as, it was my church teaching us how to be "men", while in reality they were just installing in us all the traditional stereotypes and prejudices into a group of young men. Also understand I don't go to this church anymore, my family and I left it when I was just going in to high school. But before that, every Wednesday night we'd get together have a small bible lesson, then show how little we learned from that and moved to learning how to work with tools, wood carving, cars, sports, and other "manly" things, learning how to be "real men". And the time was always wrapped up playing a game of some kind, and usually the vote was unanimous for dodge ball, accept for my vote which never really got counted because I'd wanna do something different, that maybe didn't have to involve sports, maybe draw or something. All the drawing I did, was draw a target on myself.
But because I was forced into this game, I complied all the "skill" I had developed at school running away from the bullies, and used it in the game, and eventually was really good at dodging the ball. Which is really fun to watch the expressions on bullies faces as they can't hit you in that game. It's not like the leaders were going to protect me, I think deep down they were annoyed by my "un-manly-ness" as well.
But I did get good at the game. And oddly enough I only played the game ONCE at school. But you know what? I was the winner of that game. And I won it by mostly the defense of dodging, and when I did hit anyone with the ball, it was strategic, and only when I could do it without causing the other person pain. ACCEPT, when it was down to just me and one other guy, one of the biggest bullies of my class. We each had a ball, he threw his while running at me, and I dodged it. Once he realized he missed he tried to turn around but slipped and fell. Once I realized he wasn't hurt from the fall, I threw the ball I had as hard as I could, and won the game.
Of course I got beat up for it later, but it was worth it to have ONE good memory from gym class where I won... anything.
Dodgeball Interview with the Divine Mr K
Date: 2004-06-19 07:22 pm (UTC)BarakSF: yup
BarakSF: I never had the bad experiences you did tho.
DNCNG BRRR: How did you approach it? Pick on the weak ?
BarakSF: I usually tried to get the strongest ones first.
DNCNG BRRR: I just think it isn't a sport, but a sadass game... to cover the lack of imagination by the people teaching physical fitness.
DNCNG BRRR: Hmmm...interesting.... I'd like to hear that story if you have to respond to the post.
BarakSF: I think it was a fun game, I enjoyed playing it. I think it becomes sadistic for some people, when the people who should be overseeing fairness are not doing their job.
BarakSF: I think some people like it because its another form of organized activity that doesn't really require a lot of skill other than dodging- and its good exercise.
DNCNG BRRR: Our coaches participated and hit the weaker players with glee.
BarakSF: See, our coaches would never join in.
BarakSF: Thats what was wrong with your experience- the coaches made it ok for the others to pick on the weaker.
DNCNG BRRR: Our coaches even showered with us, but that's another post:)
DNCNG BRRR: So, you were good at it?
BarakSF: I wasn't great.
DNCNG BRRR: I have one more question I'd like you ask you on the subject. Evidently there are bars now offering dodgeball nights as singles mixers. What do you think of that?
BarakSF: I think its a neat idea and a good way for some people to exercise if people play fair.
DNCNG BRRR: Would you date someone who just smashed you with a mushball?
BarakSF: If it were all in good fun.
This concludes the interview on Dodgeball. Thank you for participating, Mr K.!
Two things learned from gym class...
Date: 2004-06-19 09:12 pm (UTC)2)There is no "I" in Team. Well, Coach, I've got news for you: There's no "U" in Team, either, so why am I wasting valuable time listening to YOU and your sorry-ass Sports metaphors? Kiss your star quarterback's ass on your own time; I want to deal with someone who can see past the trophy case and see that I am TRYING MY DAMNEDEST OUT THERE! Whups...sorry. Too late. Y'all have effectively killed my budding interest in team sports. I think I'll stick to ice skating, or bicycling, where I can note my INDIVIDUAL improvement against my own standards, or at least nothing more insulting than a clock.
But, I'm not bitter.