How Frisbee Killed My Inner Child

A Frisbee is a small disc, slightly curved on the edges that, due to its aerodynamic properties, can stay in air for a short time. It can be used in a variety of games – Ultimate, Disc Golf, Schtick – but its basic concept is the same: putting a spin on the disk and watching it magically fly in the direction thrown. It seems like a wonderful creation which, since its popularization in 1957 by the Wham-O company, has been a common sight on children playgrounds. However, is it truly the innocent toy it claims to be? The reality is that Frisbee is the symbol of a wasted genius, capable of destroying happiness and leading to hate and depression.

Lets look at Frisbee from a different perspective: from a scientific point of view. It is a flat disc that, while spinning, can traverse great distances and achieve large velocities compared to its own size. A brilliant concept that has actually been thought of centuries ago – even the citizens of ancient Rome used it as an official sport in the Olympics. Since then, mankind greatly developed, rapidly advancing its technology. If we were clever enough to use copper and silicon to build a computer, then what wonders can we make out of a Frisbee? Perhaps improve the efficiency of continental travel? Or maybe get to distant planets in a matter of seconds? No. The mankind uses Frisbee to play catch.

It wouldn't be half as bad if Frisbee was simply neutral in its effect. However, it has the potential to destroy the genuine, youthful happiness. When a child first plays with the toy, he is amazed with its gravity-defying wonder. He can make ten or twenty successful throws, maybe more, but then he discovers that the disc is not as easy to throw as it seems. He learns that things do not always go in the direction that you want them to; that small insignificant details, such as a scratch on the Frisbee, can deter from a well-planned trajectory; and that how much you practice is not nearly as important as which way the wind blows on a given day. Hard work does not pay. It is not surprising, then, that according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of violent crimes in the United States has been gradually increasing since the popularization of Frisbee.

There is the other side of the coin. This "toy" may lead to severe frustration even beyond violence. After a hard and determined throw, you will only be able to helplessly observe how the disc skews from its original path into a random direction. That is just the first half of the exasperation, however; thanks to its ingenious design, the Frisbee will not simply stop where it lands, but continue to roll fifty feet away. One quickly discovers that a good flight depends more on random factors (such as wind) than on the throw itself. He will see that he is playing an unpredictable game which rewards luck instead of skill. A sense of hopelessness arises, a feeling that no matter how hard he tries and how much effort he puts into it, the result will be hardly affected; that his own matters are not really in his hands. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that "suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people ages 15 to 24." The age of fifteen, when suicide rate becomes significant, is the middle of high school, the time when students take the physical education class and are forced to play Frisbee.

In conclusion, it is very clear how deep the emotional and psychological damage Frisbee can cause. It shows how a great concept that could completely revolutionize our transportation system and, in effect, greatly help with environmental pollution is (almost literally) thrown out the window. It crushes the hopes and joys of children, teaching them about the injustice of the world way before they are ready to understand them. And, finally, it plants a seed of uncertainty and helplessness even in the most courageous of us. Frisbee killed my inner child.