Dodgeball — harmless game or dehumanizing torture?
Re: “Researchers say dodgeball is tool of ‘oppression’ that dehumanizes,” June 8 news story
Now that underemployed, so-called experts have deemed dodgeball to be “oppression” and dehumanizing, will they soon follow with enhanced condemnations on tag-team events which might, in their opinions, be considered to be unwanted touching?
Russell W. Haas, Golden
I laughed out loud when I read the headline about dodgeball. It was a “duh” moment to the extreme. As a 72-year-old woman who lived through the torture of being a target during the junior high and high school “physical exercise” of dodgeball, I can definitely say it dehumanizes a person.
I was never very athletic, or pretty, or popular and every time that ball slammed into me, I felt the sting of being marginalized by everyone who could aim better and throw harder than I could.
That it took all these years and a team from three Canadian universities to conclude that dodgeball is a tool of “oppression” that dehumanizes is a mystery of the universe not to be understood by all of us who felt it firsthand. Bullies were made during PE and encouraged by dodgeball and the teachers who thought it was OK.
Donna Harrison, Centennial
Did The Denver Post miss slipping this article in on April 1?
In defense of dodgeball, it teaches threat assessment, knowing when to hold and when to move, setting priorities, as well as physical skills like throwing accuracy, speed of movement, and agility. Plus it lets off steam in a fun, harmless and non-injurious way.
The sooner a kid learns that you win some, you lose some and losing a game doesn’t define your life, the better. These researchers have way too much time on their hands.
Stan Moore, Lakewood
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