A peek into the recesses of the liberal mind

The Sacramento Bee has a lengthy article on the measures taken by various northern California school districts to make elementary-school recess as boring as possible. The districts vary in their regulations, but it seems that in general they frown upon any activity that might result in physical contact -- either person-to-person or ball-to-person -- or verbal conflict. This eliminates just about everything I did on the playground when I was a kid (many, many years ago).

Concerned about safety and injuries and worried about bullying, violence, self-esteem and lawsuits, school officials have clamped down on the traditional games from years past.

Gone from many blacktops are tag, dodgeball and any game involving bodily contact. In are organized relay races and adult-supervised activities.

Do these schools see a difference between recess and a P.E. class?

The restrictions trouble some early-childhood experts and parents. Recess is usually the only part of the school day where kids can do what they want. Experts say free play helps kids learn how to cooperate, socialize and work out conflicts.

But no...in such an unregulated environment we might see the eruption of such unhealthy things as competition, which everyone knows leads to hurt feelings and low self-esteem. We all know that there's nothing like that in the real world, so what's the point in allowing kids to learn about it?