Probably most of us square dance afficianados think square dancing should be taught in gym classes…as long as the school brings in a “real” caller who can present square dancing in a fun (and semi-modern) way.

But we fail to take into account the cruelty that kids can inflict on other kids. Here’s a tale from a Live Journaler who will never

, ever square dance again: negroplease79: DOSE-E-DOE…BOW TO YOUR PARTNER. A few quotes:

With the exception of kindergarten, I was enormously unpopular for most of my school years…..and square dancing only magnified this.

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Then came all outright hell…and be prepared, this is going to sound like an episode of Freaks and Geeks, but this is truly what happened: It was now time to dance with your group. Michael and Andre had made fun of me to my face, and then had concocted a plan amongst the boys in the group that I was to go untouched. They were not going to touch my hands whatsoever. Square dancing is pretty much all hand touching and swinging and shit, right? Yeah, right. So, as we are dancing, Mr. Lagger notices that none of the boys are touching me, except for Nehvin, who at this point, is barely touching my hands (out of sympathy, I presume). He gets pissed and stops the music and embarrasses the fuck out of me. The boys tell Mr. Lagger, while telling the whole class… “Rita is ugly and gross, and we didn’t want to dance with her in the first place, you made us! We don’t like her, no one likes her, we can’t help that she is ugly.” Yep.

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The point to this story….I don’t need sympathy, if that is how this has come off, that was not my intention…my point is square dancing was worthless bullshit that serves no purpose to a young person’s future. It only exemplified just how unpopular my black ass was. And it made elitists out of 13 year olds. Have I square danced since then…hellz naw. Do I have the desire too…fuck no. What was the point of the shit? Really, any takers??? I just don’t see it. I don’t use square dancing to solve life queries. I don’t use square dancing to help me get through Pathology and Pharmacology. Hell, I don’t square dance when I go to the club (not that I’m a clubber), nor does it help me get laid.

Pointless shit….Redneck Soul Train.

This could have happened with almost any kind of dancing in 8th grade PE…but square dancing is what gets foisted on kids, and with its forced social interaction, provides a lot of opportunities for cruelty.

Something to think about…