Originally Posted By HRM It's actually easy for kids to get tramatized, they don't comprehend the situation; it's the adults that sometimes go overboard, making it easier for kids not being able to comprehend life's experiences.
Originally Posted By da_tick The "back in my day" this wasn't an issue can no longer work. The same goes for bullying someone because of gender or sexual preference. Times have changed.
Originally Posted By HRM Definitely agree about the increased awareness on bullying; now it's time for adults to "get it". Back to the topic at hand... wonder what kind of "awareness training" Disney will institute for it's Cast Members?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Yeah, "back in my day" doesn't work any longer. Now we prefer to raise kids totally unprepared to deal with the setbacks and trauma they will face in real life. I'm not saying we should give a free ride to bullying... being small and short I was bullied the whole way through school. But this idea that children should never be exposed to any type of disappointment or adversity is totally bogus and leaves them ill-prepared for life. When is the last time you accomplished ANYTHING in adult life by receiving a "participation award"?
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 "I was talking about this incident with co-workers, and the conversation went toward what we did as kids... cherry-bombs, etc. - some even admitted to the dry ice/ plastic bottle "bomb". Times have changed." Yeah, my dad tells stories of doing that kind of stuff in school, like dropping cherry bombs in toilets and stuff like that. Not saying those things were truly harmless back then either, people could have and did get hurt, but it wasn't treated like terrorism or anything like that. I sort of agree about the bullying thing, but only to a point. If it's physically harmful, or really breaks the spirit of the kid, then it should be stopped. There is a difference between "not disappointing" a kid and making sure they are safe at school. There's got to be a balance. Not everybody should get a gold star or participation trophy, but emotional and physical abuse shouldn't happen.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Oh, and on the topic of this prank at Disneyland. I think it was a pretty bad excuse for a prank. Maybe the guy was frustrated and he did it as a final "screw you" knowing it would get him fired. I wonder if he thought it through and realized he could go to jail for it though?
Originally Posted By ecdc >>They better look forward to it. It's huge news that needs quick coverage when it happens.<< I don't have a problem with the media covering terrorist events. I don't even have a problem so much with the "breaking news" approach. I do have a problem with a culture that has such misplaced priorities that a Disneyland dry ice bomb that injured no one becomes national news, covered coast to coast, while far more important, more serious issues are ignored entirely, and essential international news is relegated to 60 second, "Your World in a Minute!" spots at the end of local newscasts. The reason local news shows have exploded in the past decade or so (one local affiliate in my city does "news" from 4:30PM - 7PM, with a 30 minute break for the national newscast) is because they are cheap and get good ratings. They get good ratings because, by and large, they've become very adept at knowing what people are interested in and what people want to see. The news is a reflection of what we as a society value.
Originally Posted By berol A trend with conspiracy industry cons is to take the initial reports that were wrong and claim they were right, must be a coverup, etc. A slice of the public fall for it every time. The dry ice bomb wasn't a fact yet when the news initially went coast-to-coast. My local station rightfully did a follow-up story about the arrest and that it was only a dry ice bomb. They haven't said a peep about it since.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>A trend with conspiracy industry cons is to take the initial reports that were wrong and claim they were right, must be a coverup, etc. A slice of the public fall for it every time.<< Yup. Although I'd argue this is more a result of conservative mistrust in government than a result of breaking news-style reporting. The grandaddy conspiracy remains JFK, and that's 50 years old. And 9/11, arguably the most photographed event in history, still has those who insist what we saw with our own eyes wasn't real. But I digress. Back to your regularly scheduled dry iced programming
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 If he didn't want to work there it seems like there would have been an easier way. He could have given his two week notice. Or simply not come back.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 <<When is the last time you accomplished ANYTHING in adult life by receiving a "participation award"?>> I don't think many kids want a "particpation award"
Originally Posted By ecdc >>But this idea that children should never be exposed to any type of disappointment or adversity is totally bogus and leaves them ill-prepared for life.<< I know this is so widely accepted now as to be axiomatic, but I really don't think there's a lot of merit to it. People jump all over the trophy for participating thing, but it's just another typically, "Why, in my day and age...!" kind of silliness from one generation not understanding another that's gone on for decades. My son is nearly 11 years old, and he's quickly leaving the stage when kids do get trophies for participating. He's starting to learn about competition, and that yeah, you don't get something without putting forth effort. This is the same with school, where he's getting more homework and realizing he really needs to apply himself (at least in math, his weakest subject) if he's going to continue getting As. This is about the right age for this. I suppose we could tell five year olds they lost and they get jack squat because apparently it builds character. Or something. Believe me, kids have disappointments every single day that teach them what life is like. They get lower grades, they have conflicts with friends, they're told no by their parents all the time when they want something, etc. Bullies are cowards and they suck, and we're right to have a zero-tolerance policy toward them.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Who didn't have teenage years that were full of dissapointment and adversity??? What's wrong with building kids self esteem up while they are little, to try and offset the major blow they will get as teenagers/young adults?
Originally Posted By ksargen 27 - Yookeroo - YEP! 47 - ecdc - YEP! As for "When was the last time a participation award helped you in life?" Um, yeah. I belong to an organization that hands out awards for all sorts of things, and honestly, adults are still handing out those sorts of awards to each other. Hoooray! Thank you for raising your hand and volunteering. You didn't accomplish anything, and made everyone's head hurt, but here, have an award. I wish I were kidding...
Originally Posted By Tikiduck I agree with letting kids have a little fun when they are young, and building their confidence is a great thing. It's just that a lot of mollycoddling parents don't know when to pull the plug on the endless praise thing.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I think I might be an exception here, because my kids really ARE more special than the average kid.
Originally Posted By HRM >> "I blame the Incredibles for this." << anybody sit through and read the credits after a Pixar (or any movie lately)?... participation acknowledgement given to everybody for everything... i'm trying to figure out why the 3rd back-up assistant's assistant to the on-call limo driver for the backround actor's stand-in needs to listed in the credits... maybe it's so the person's Linked-in profile skill set can be endorsed. But again, I digress. Isn't Dry Ice a controlled substance in certain amounts; and as such doesn't certain certfication and training need to be enforced? Mite be why this Cast Member is being treated so harshly.
