Photo of ax-wielding linemen sacked

Yup. Grown men and women regularly wearing helmets for a leisurly ride on their bicycles in the park near my house show it for me.

Can you imagine a cowboy wearing a helmet to ride a horse ?

I told my wife about this and she (ever slightly) convinced me that this was idiotic to shoot this poster. She did mention that recently this school and a rival did have a big brawl over sports. That slapped me back into reality about school violence and the messages we want to send to our kids. She focused on the knife wielder, while I focused on the sledgehammer. Obviously those invoke two very different thoughts.

I guess I'm old skool (but only 32) where I believe the perception of this doesn't meet reality. Tough guys showing off strength holding implements of strength is understandable. The knife thing is curious, my wife and I agreed. My wife said, "Are they trying to say we're going to stab you?" In a (harmless and fictitious) way, YES!. This is sport, and unfortunately, the forces of overbearing parents and schools have taken it taken to a higher more dangerous level.

If the team was wearing Grim Reaper outfits or holding hangman nooses, the implication would be the same but perceicved in a more harmless light. WHY?

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.