My campaign to educate America about the insipent danger of pinatas is an uphill battle. I know that. I routinely face derision for waging my battle, but if I can spare just one child, or one parent, the pain and suffering that is both physical and mentally, then it is worth it.
People will say, “so should we ban baseball too since your daughter used a bat?” No, of course not. The point of baseball isn’t to beat something into pieces and encourage violence. But that is the point of pinatas.
People say “should we try to protect the world from every conceivable form of suffering?” No. It isn’t possible. But when there are obvious hazards that serve no useful purpose other than “fun” which is derived primarily from acting in violence, then why should we encourage that kind of activity? We shouldn’t.
People say “what’s the big deal, it’s just a pinata.” But you know, people used to say, “what’s the big deal, it’s just a cigarette.” Or a cherry bomb. Or a switchblade. They’re all harmless, right? Pinatas are no different than a cigarette, a cherry bomb or a knife. Sure, they can all be used safely, but the potential for harm out weighs any other value. And so we regulate and/or ban these things.
There are now two studies that show direct links between pinatas and violent behavior. There are no free speech issues. So why should we tolerate the ongoing availability of pinatas? We shouldn’t. And I will continue my fight to stop pinata related violence.
I wonder what the proper way to safely use a cigarette is…
really, i understand your concern with violence. i have a friend who is blind in one eye because of playing with sticks after a pinata party. but i think there are better battles to fight and better ways to spend your energy. the point of a pinata is not to beat it to death—it is to break it open and reveal the goodies inside. breaking things (dishes at a wedding, balloons at a party, poppers on new year’s eve) is a human custom, and not one you’re likely to change. i thought your website was satirical. turns out, your dead serious. but take a look at what you’re creating: negative energy. your daughter is scared of pinatas now. you spend all sorts of energy dealing with this blog. your neighbors all had to come to your defense because you’re so uptight about this. (your new neighbor, btw, was just trying to celebrate!) i think you need to drop the whole thing and focus on something more positive.
I agree that the neighbor was just interested in celebrating, and I don’t fault him for wanting to and bringing a piñata to the party – I fault him for his insensitive response after he was politely informed about what had happened with my family. More importantly, we were perfectly willing to leave the party ourselves, no harm, no foul, rather than push the issue.
I do think piñatas should be banned. I think they cause more harm than good, especially with alternatives like pull string piñatas. But until they are banned, I will simply choose not to put my family in situations where there are piñatas. In this case, my neighbors simply agreed with me, having seen directly what happened and knowing us to be good and caring parents. It is the fact that we are responsible parents that gets my point across to people who know my family. Because if this could happen to us, it literally could happen to anyone.
So, you are saying that there is no diffrence from paper mache,an obvious weapon that has been used to kill hundreds of thousands, or an illegal explosive? I am glad their are people like you in the world. makes my job so much easier. BAN NEWSPAPER! IT HURTS WHITE PEOPLE!
I really dont get what you are trying to point across here. You talk about safety here when theres alot of potential safety issues around your house.. Whats even more crazy is that you obviously trying to protect your children from you neighbors?? wow good parents i feel sorry for you when they go to college. Then lets see how well you can protect them from drugs and alcohol protection. Just hope that they dont get picked up and get drugged and later get dump in the river like most missing protective children. Good Luck!