If you've read my YA romantic comedy
Shot Through the Heart, you're familiar with Senior Assassin. For those who aren't, it's a game played in high schools and colleges across the country--often by senior classes, fraternities, and other groups--where players eliminate each other by using water guns, nerf guns, stickers, or other means. It was created solely for fun, though it's often used by groups as a team-building exercise. (For more details, check out my earlier blog on the subject
here.)
Yesterday, a group of teens from Thomas Jefferson High School in Pleasant Hills, PA, drew concern for their play. You can check out an article on it
here, from CBS Pittsburgh or a video from the local news station,
WTAE.
What do you think? Is it ever okay to play a game like this given the gun discussion in the United States? If so, are there ways to make it both fun and safe? Does your school have an event like this? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
1 comment:
i think the US has gone completely overboard in regards to "fear the gun; fear anything that resembles a gun." kids have played with fictional guns forever, without taking it to the level of hurting someone w/ a real gun. cops & robbers, cowboys & indians, water guns, bb guns, rubber band guns, marshmallow guns... and then there are kids who grow up hunting, learning to respect real guns. all kids should be taught the difference btwn play & reality, imagination... it used to be that imagination was encouraged...
anyway! sorry! this is just a hot button for me, because this kind of game (senior assassin) is something FUN for kids to do, something to build relationships & whatnot. society is trying to suck all the imagination and PLAY out of kids, and it makes for entire generations of adults who are either fearful of everything or can't think for themselves (or decide between reality and fantasy for themselves)...
whew. on another note - really enjoy your blog! :)
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