Kindness and compassion are for those who don't want to win softball tournaments

An area softball team is raffling off an AR-15 rifle to raise money to compete in a California tournament later this month. For $20 a ticket, 15 girls from Centennial, Gresham, and Milwaukie high schools are hoping that the rifle raffle earns them the $6,000 they need to represent Oregon at the West Regional Tournament in Lancaster, Calif., July 23-27. The players are between the ages of 14 and 18. The raffle comes at a time of heightened national concern about access to deadly assault rifles, but a representative of the team defends the raffle, calling it a “non-issue.”…. “This is still America, where I believe we are free to pursue our own joy,” writes Georgia Herr, a district manager for the team, in an email. “For those who have the money and resources to shoot rifles, I believe they have as much of a right to do so as those who spend their time chasing invisible Pokémon.”

Part of my extended family has children heavily involved in youth softball, so I’m not unfamiliar with the culture surrounding the sport. I also understand, as Ms. Herr clearly seems not to, that youth softball is part of the educational process of a child. Inherent in that educational process is teaching children what’s proper, appropriate, and/or respectful. Given the spate of recent mass shootings and attacks targeting police, it seems not at all unreasonable to hope that fundraising efforts would recognize the sensitivities involved in raffling off an AR-15. Instead, consistent with the general philosophy of Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes ©, gun rights trump any and all other considerations.

Guns don’t kill people…well, yeah, actually they kinda do….

“Free to pursue our own joy?” Perhaps, but I’m wondering if Ms. Herr could possibly have found a more offensive and insensitive justification? Numerous people have been killed recently by madmen wielding AR-15s…and she can’t possibly imagine how and why anyone could take offense over her softball team raffling one off? Pursuing “our own joy” with something that’s been frequent tool of mass murderers? Stay classy, eh?

This is what happens when you don’t give a damn about what’s going on in the world and you lack the compassion and basic human kindness to show others a modicum of respect…never mind modeling those qualities for children under your supervision.

Herr defends the timing of the raffle—and the idea of letting minors sell the tickets.

“I don’t presume to judge what is appropriate for others, but I do believe parents are responsible for teaching their children,” she says, “That’s why this was initiated with parent involvement.”

Of course, given that part of youth sports is educating kids to face challenges in the future, a reasonable person might ask what lesson this episode might be teaching them.

I’m going to go with “&@#% ‘em if they can’t take a joke. Do what you want, because the opinions and sensibilities of others don’t matter.”