{"id":4085,"date":"2004-11-20T14:10:53","date_gmt":"2004-11-20T18:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2004\/11\/20\/dodgy-logic\/"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:58:13","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:58:13","slug":"dodgy-logic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2004\/11\/20\/dodgy-logic\/","title":{"rendered":"dodgy logic"},"content":{"rendered":"

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one-breath pundit<\/FONT><\/A>  <\/FONT><\/EM><\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P>
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The headlines ask <\/FONT>Is dodgeball too dangerous for kids?<\/EM><\/A><\/FONT>  I’ll let <\/FONT>Overlawyered.com<\/FONT><\/A> cover this<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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in full, but I just have to wonder about a lawsuit that claims teacher-supervised dodgeball is  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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too dangerous for 7-year-olds and inappopriate for grammar school gym classes.   I’d like to see <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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stats that compare injuries from dodgeball with pee-wee sports like soccer, baseball and football,<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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which seem to be fine with the very same folk who think dodgeball is too warlike.   Why not<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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just have <\/FONT>the little kids use softer balls?  Would this case exist without a potentially big dollar <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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payout <\/FONT>for the <\/FONT>lawyers? (Lawsuit aims to put dodgeball on trial<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/A> (Newsday<\/EM>\/AP, Nov. 19, 2004)<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Updates<\/FONT><\/STRONG><\/EM>: (Nov. 21): Walter Olson treats this topic here<\/A>.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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(Nov. 22, 2004): Wikipedia<\/A> has a good, brief history of “dodgeball” and has this<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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to say about the current Controversy:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Dodgeball, when it emerged, was touted as the “nerd’s sport”.  Since players <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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normally were not part of a team, no player had to endure the teasing that would <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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fall upon a player accused of “causing the team to lose”. As well, the game was <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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seen as having a light-hearted and self-deprecatory nature and, therefore, more <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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amenable to non-athletic students. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV>
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“Ironically, dodgeball has come under attack for failing to meet the needs of precisely <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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those students. Opponents of dodgeball have argued that the game provides, for <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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bullies, the excuse to abuse unathletic and unpopular students, by throwing the <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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ball hard enough to cause injury.”<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"soccer<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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fall’s first chill —<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the football<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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bounces louder<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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driver’s training–<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the instructor’s hairy arm<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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hangs out the window<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/FONT><\/EM> <\/DIV>
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by<\/EM> <\/FONT><\/FONT>Barry George<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A> from <\/FONT><\/EM>A New<\/FONT> Resonance 2: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku<\/EM><\/FONT><\/STRONG><\/A>   <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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credits: both poems – Haiku Happens 1998<\/FONT><\/EM><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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