Is it just me, or is this woman nuts?

The City of Irving has contracted with Kraft, Inc. to stage a sort of party for the implosion of Texas Stadium. Ann Moody says she thinks the public spectacle is sad. I don't have any feelings one way or the other on the subject aside from the fact that our ancestors built structures to last for hundreds, some even thousands of years, and if they could do that, I don't see why we build them to last for only decades.

Anyway, back to Ann. Her real complaint is that Kraft is having an essay contest for children. The winning child gets to punch the trigger button to set off the implosion. My first thought was how much fun that will be for a kid. Heck, there are at least a dozen grown men I know who would jump at the chance to do that. But Ann says this adds to our "worrisome, growing culture of violence." She says, "We do not need a publicly sanctioned event that teaches children to glorify it [violence]." Can't you just see some car-jacker or rapist saying, "Well, it all started when I got to push the button to implode Texas Stadium. I got a hankering for violence right then."

Get a grip, Ann! You obviously don't know the meaning of violence. Now if we said, "Let's put a bunch of puppy dogs or kitty cats in there before we blow it up and see how far they fly" . . . THAT'S VIOLENCE. Or if a bunch of hooligans tried to blow up a building not slated for destruction -- THAT'S VIOLENCE. But punching the button to bring down a building that's got to come down? Would Ann call it violence if the thing were just bulldozed instead and they let a little kid sit on the bulldozer with the operator?

She says it's sad that Kraft and Irving are choosing to give kids the "momentary thrill of creating massive destruction." I think Ann's just jealous that they didn't open up the contest to adults.

"Implosion not child's play." The Dallas Morning News; January 6, 2010; p. 16A.