Does Phys. Ed. exist to prepare boys for war?

[DerekG]

I have often wondered why a class such as Physical Education (Gym) is a 12-year forced requirement for children who attend public schools when a class on ethics would be much more beneficial for the individual and society as a whole.

Tell me if I'm being a bit paranoid, but I think I've stumbled upon the answer.

Any male could tell you that Phys. Ed. is a curriculum awash in animus, where teams are pitted against the other while the teacher shouts orders as if he were some kind of drill instructor. More often than not, the children who are uncoordinated are on the receiving end of a barrage of taunts and cruelty.

Is it possible that this is a government-mandated preparation for battle--whereupon boys are encouraged to lust over some abstract notion of "glory" and act upon their feelings of disdain for the "weak?"

To compound this, I remember that every year, a military officer would come in and collect data from every boy that chronicled the results of myriad tests of strength and stamina they performed (chin-ups, running).


What do other DUers think?

[bluestateguy]

1. Ahem

One of the reasons for the President's Council on Physical Fitness was the high number of boys who flunked the induction physicals.

[joeybee12]

2. I think it's mainly there because young boys have WAY too much

energy--if you didn't try to get them to release it at some point in the day, they'd be bouncing off the walls in all their classes.

HOwever, your point about ethics is well taken--they should be taught that, but I don't think you can realistically take away PE! Besides, it is a valuable outlet for the unemployable.

Those who can, do
Those who can't, teach

And those who can't teach, teach PE (Annie Hall)

[southerngirlwriter]

3. No, it exists to make girls whose bodies actually

have some shape and curves, instead of being super-skinny, want to kill themselves as the super-skinny girls point, laugh, and make terrible noises of derision.

Not that I'm bitter or anything. :grr:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

23. and to make awkward kids

feel more awkward, and turn them off to physical activity of any kind.

[2004Donkeys]

29. Stupid comment removed

n/t

[lcordero]

4. add in the fat tax and the tobacco tax

[YellowRubberDuckie]

5. That was Random....

That was the first thought that came to my mind when I first read the post. Now I'm thinking that's an incredibly bright assumption on your part. Makes a hell of a lot of sense.
Duckie

[boxster]

6. Geez, how about exercise? Could it be that?

If we're preparing the boys for war, what are we preparing the girls for?

The idea is to help kids exercise. And, honestly, we need MORE of that, not less. Obesity in children is an epidemic.

[lolly]

12. Granted, but

See my post below. When I took P.E., we had to do fencing, archery, "mushball" (a weird version of baseball), and other competitive sports.

Few adults I know who keep in shape do any of these things. The women I know go to Pilates or aerobics classes or lift weights or jog. I Nordiktrack on a fairly regular basis, and I'm probably in better shape than I was as a teenager trying to avoid ridicule on the baseball diamond or volleyball court.

[boxster]

14. I think the general idea was to offer variety of activities.

Kids get bored easily, so the general idea of physical education programs in most schools is to offer a variety of activities in the hopes that kids will participate.

And, almost all sports are "competitive", so eliminating competitiveness in any sports situation would be extraordinarily difficult.

I don't disagree that gym wasn't an unnecessary source of ridicule and abuse. I do disagree with the original post's premise that the primary role is to crank out little soldiers.

[camero]

7. That explains alot

Why I got so many recruiting letters from the military and they didn't care about my hearing aid.

[lolly]

8. Maybe in its current format

I always thought it was a special favor to keep dumb ex-jocks employed. Had the added bonus of giving them a chance to subject their intellectual superiors to ridicule and shame. Not the I"M bitter . . .

Ideally, P.E. should concentrate on the kinds of physical activity that we can use throughout life--non-competitive jogging, aerobic dancing, etc.

I mean, really, how many adults play tag football on a regular basis in order to stay in shape?

Who was it who said something about Britain's battles being won on the playing fields of Eton? So yes, I think hyper-competitive P.E. programs enforce the whole warrior mentality thing.

[DS1]

9. I remember playing "Medic" a lot in grade school

[DS1]

10. and no, that's not the same as "Doctor" you sick farks!

:evilgrin:

[Rasmodia]

11. I think boys just love good clean competition

Competition is indeed one of the great aspect of life. I just abhor those who seem to believe it is a bad thing. They want to wimpify the American male. That's all it is. Whether it's a tool for the military as presented in PE...I have my doubts. I just think it is a manhood thing.

[SheilaT]

13. Where do you live that has 12 years of PE?

Most places have cut way back on it -- three or at most four semesters in high school, and for the most part it's a joke. No real physical conditioning.

Back in the 60s I remember taking all those tests, at least in New York State. When I moved to Arizona we didn't do them.

We do not have a federally mandated curriculum in our schools. The AP (Advanced Placement) classes are the nearest thing, and only because they lead up to the AP exams. And they're purely electives. Most kids take few or no APs.

[DerekG]

17. Lockport, N.Y.

I'm a college senior now, but my original post stemmed from experience.

[OneBlueSky]

20. hey . . . I lived in Gasport for awhile while in Jr. High . . .

went to Roy-Hart in 7th grade . . . then we moved to Youngstown, and I went to Lew-Port in 8th . . . finally settled in Sanborn, and I graduated from NW . . . my dad was in the Army and stationed in the Niagara Falls area for about six years . . .

[Nikia]

15. No, it was for identifying prospective talents for sports teams

That's what they used it in at my school anyway. Some kids of course were pushed into youth leagues and such at an early age. Some students not in those leagues were taught to play competitive sports in the early grades and caught on a showed talent. These students were referred to the coaches. I was referred to the track coach in sixth grade but did not join until I was in high school. Sports was a big deal in our area.
Sports does teach striving for glory but that isn't necessarily a bad thing in its less extremem form. It is a good example of working towards goals and perseverance.
I do think that lifetime fitness activites should be emphasized more than team sports. The way it is does have a lot to do with coaches though.

[put out]

16. Where are you taking P.E?

At my son's school, much of their exercise is done with a monitor so that they can reach their own target heart range and keep their heart rate within that range. They are not graded on how far or how fast, only that they reached that range and maintained it. They are graded down for exceeding the range.

His P.E. teacher talks lots about making healthy choices in food and lifestyle. They get to try all kinds of different activities, some of which he might never be exposed to. Some stuff he really likes; other stuff, not so much. That's life.

A major component of my son's grade is how he supports others in his class. I think his P.E. courses are really good for him. Maybe things are different where you are.

[LastKnight]

18. maybe 40 years or so ago...

i mainly think it was to burn off the extra energy all kids have at those ages... but defenatley not ment to train anyone for anything, today at least, everything is so politically correct, no one wins, no one loses, everyone has 'fun'. alot of competative sports like dodgeball arent allowed anymore cause it promotes kids to prey on the weak or athletically challanged. everything has becomed all fluff so no one's feelings gets hurt.

besides... thats what the JROTC is for

-LK

[Interrobang]

19. I always thought it was to make people like me miserable.

I'm just handicapped enough to have difficulty with most team and competitive sports, and just able-bodied enough not to be able to get an exemption. I always thought one should be able to get one's PE credits for extracurricular activities, thereby being spared the horror of having to (try to) play basketball, field hockey, or do gymnastics or jazz dancing.

In my later life, I've actually discovered that I'm fairly athletic by contemporary standards -- I do aerobics, lift weights, horseback ride, swim, folk dance, and arch, and *none* of those things were done regularly or for substantial credit (riding, swimming, and archery not at all!) at any school I attended. Notice one thing about my chosen sports, too -- none of them are particularly competitive, and can be practiced alone! (Ew, gym class horror nostalgia!)

[OneBlueSky]

21. "A sound mind in a sound body" . . .

I actually think phys. ed. is a good idea, particularly now that so many kids spend all of their time in sedentary activities (e.g. video games) . . . I never minded gym class at all . . .

[mitchum]

22. I agree with all of your points...

and I'm a lazy bastard. It's based on the Hellenic ideal (and there's nothing wrong with that)

[Shanty Oilish]

24. Sports are sublimated wars

So I've always believed. People have violence in them, and sports provides a less destructive outlet than murder.

That's not all sport is, but it's a part.

[Hubert Flottz]

25. It did in Nazi Germany!

Maybe the Bush Youth will be up to the task also!

[Nihil]

26. Not really ...

... only in as much as it reduces the chance of obesity/heart failure
before they are old enough to enlist ...

Kids are kids. They need to burn off energy somehow (and if they
don't, they are either unwell or not eating correctly).

If my kids leave school fit enough to enlist then great, that's a
GOOD start in life as most later professions will tend to degrade
your health not improve it!

The physical side does not cause someone to sign on the dotted line,
it is the mental and emotional aspects that do.

I will be very upset if my kids are indoctrinated to feel that the
military life is their best option *because* they are fit.

I will be very upset if my kids are manipulated and bullied into
feeling that the military life is their best option because without
it they will be worthless.

I will be sad if my kids are not fit enough to enlist (like nowhere
near the standard, not just out by a fraction) - not because I want
them to join up (believe me, I don't!) but because that means that
they are starting off their adult lives at a disadvantage to their
peers who ARE fit and healthy.

My biggest gripe with the school PE programme is that there is little
competitiveness left in infant & junior school (the "everyone wins a
prize" approach). I dislike the other extreme as well ("you HAVE to
win at all costs") but know that taking away the incentive to win is
not a good thing at any age, never mind for a child.

Nihil

[Loonman]

27. That's the dumbest question I've heard so far today

....and it's only 7:15.

[Nihil]

28. Well, I'm five hours ahead of you ...

... and I've had a whole morning of "so ****ing dumb" that this isn't
bad at all!

[terrya]

30. High School PE prepared me for some hours in counselling.

I realized I was gay...and I HATED sports. I was no good at athletics. I threw (hell, I still do) a softball like a girl. I got put out at the right field during mandatory softball games. I was laughed at and humilated in PE. PE was the seventh circle of hell for me.

Terry

[FlaGranny]

35. Well, I AM a girl, and I was halfway decent

at throwing a softball, but I still got put out in right field - because my phys ed teacher always gave the gals on the school teams the good field positions. I hated that. The phys ed teacher has a lot to do with how much kids enjoy or hate phys ed. Your's seems to have been even worse than mine was.

My grandkids' school concentrates on non-competitive sports to avoid just what you described. I'm not sure that's 100% a good thing though. I remember, when I was a kid, the neighborhood kids used to get together and play softball in the summers. It was great fun and we didn't care who won, we just played.

:-)

[TheRedMan]

31. Unlikely

Spend a few full days in a row with kids in elementary/middle school. THen decide how much energy you want them to have in a day.

[LWolf]

32. No.

These days it exists to make sure that every student spends at least 20-30 minutes a day at some activity that isn't sedentary. In hopes that their bodies will grow and develop in a healthy manner, and lead them to a fit adulthood.

It also gives kids a chance to naturally spend some of the energy that comes with being a kid, that has no outlet sitting in a small, hard chair in confined space all day in a classroom.

[mobuto]

33. No, but Football is

American Football is a reinactment of war, with rules, on a field. Commentators even use military jargon to describe what's going on. That doesn't stop me from being a football fan, but it is a reality.

I think PE is PE - designed to channel kids' physical energy, to develop athletic habits, and build teamwork.

[brook]

36. Interesting you should say that.

If you ever saw the movie M*A*S*H - Altman was fond of pointing out that the only violence was in the football game. He said football was the kindergarten of war.

[mobuto]

41. M*A*S*H is one of my very favorite movies

And Altman's right.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

34. There is PE and then there is PE

In Brazil, PE consists in gymnastics, running and an unorganized, totally friendly game of soccer at the end. Keeps people in shape, doesn't enhance reptilian instincts and siphons out excess energy just fine.

[slappypan]

37. gym teachers

Gym teachers are creepy. Only ever had one gym teacher that seemed like a normal human.

[geniph]

38. Not in most places

but it varies greatly depending on the gym teachers. When I was in high school, I took swimming for my PE credits. While we did play water polo on Fridays (which was mostly an excuse to play grabass with each other, as it was co-ed), I doubt any of us came out of it trained for any other kind of combat.

Some gym teachers basically teach kids the same drills used in basic training. Others are heavy on team sports. The smart ones accommodate the kids who do best at individual sports, both competitive and non-competitive, as well as those who prefer teams. I remember kickball, tetherball, dodgeball (!!! evil invention of sadists !!!), volleyball, soccer, various track and field events, swimming, gymnastics, a wide variety of different types of phys ed being taught.

The only one I was any good at was swimming, particularly long-distance swimming.

[Rabrrrrrr]

39. Gosh, and maybe the only reason we have English class is so we can read

the tank directions and field manuals.

And obviously, the only reason we teach foreign languages is so that when we kill someone in war, we can say "Fuck you" in their language, and so we can read their literature so we can better prepare ourselves to kill them more stealthily, and use propaganda against them.

And of course, the only reason we study biology is to learn better killing points in the body and how to wage biological warfare.

Plus don't forget that we only teach science so that we'll have a new generation of bomb builders and civil engineers who can destroy bridges.

Oh, and I imagine that the reason we teach history is learn about how and how not to wage a war.

Of course, math is essential, so that the scientists have the proper tools with which to design their bombs and biological weapons, and so we can better count the enemy dead.

Surely physical education would have nothing to do with exercise, learning some sports, developing good exercise habits, and burning off some energy. Nah, that couldn't be it at all.

In fact, the entire public education system is really just pre-basic training, and serves no other purpose whatsoever. maybe we should ban public education, and get the goverment out of it.

[mitchum]

42. That's excellent

very well done, Rabrrrrrr

[PVnRT]

40. Uhhhhh.....no.......

Given that most kids today don't get enough exercise, P.E. is about the only thing that will get them off of their lazy asses. I don't view that as a bad thing.

That said, I wish it would focus more on physical fitness and not just playing games and sports.