Cowboys and Indians

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I went to see the movie Cowboys and Aliens. It was a pretty good movie, better than you might have expected going in.

I had a thought as I watched the Cowboys and Indians on the great plains decide to join forces to defeat the aliens which threatened to wipe them both out.

My guess is kids do not play Cowboys and Indians anymore. I am not advocating they do so I just know how integral a part of the little boy experience that was for me growing up. We could play outside with elaborate rules or we could play with the little figures you could get. I remember there was an Indian that was always kneeling with his arrow and he had a big headress like a turkey showing his plumage.

We also played with little army men as well. My guess is that that might still go on but of course the whole thing about violence and war toys is much higher. I do not think that kids I grew up with were more violent than kids are now.

When you think about it we watched Bugs Bunny play with guns, we played with toy guns, army figures, cowboys and indians and I am pretty sure we were ok for it.

I do not want this to be a diatribe that we are too safe now as I am one who is all for safety. I, in fact, am told I am too careful sometimes.

I just think that those folks who tell us that we should not let our children play war games might later let their kids listen to cop killer rap music or play video games that are all about killing. My sons play all these combat games. Movies are a cesspool of violence. What is more dangerous movies with violence on the level we see or cartoons where we see Wile Coyote fall off a cliff without dieing.

There are always extreme cases of course but the world is a different place. I did not end up a racist and I played with cowboys and indians. I love Cowboys, I know that the Indians got hosed. Sometimes I think we focus our efforts on the wrong things.