Ban This!

As the youngest of three kids, I learned two things very early on. The first was that my older brother and sister would always side with each other, making it very difficult to get my way. The second was that if I ratted either or both of them out to my mom, they would suffer, and if either or both of them tried to retaliate, I'd loudly explain how they were now banned from whatever activity got them into trouble in the first place.

My sister would always fold at this point, as she was all about the rules. My brother, on the other hand, would go back to the banned activity while proudly proclaiming "so what?"

The lesson was clear: follow the rules, unless you want to have fun.

Our beautiful, but sometimes misguided city has thousands of bylaws on the books. We may have more than most cities, but that could be less a product of an over-zealous city government, and more closely related to the fact that we have more lawyers per capita than anywhere on the planet.

This week, Kingston City Council is debating whether or not to ban road hockey from Kingston streets. Public opinion is divided, though not equally. We did a quick and non-scientific (so probably deadly accurate) poll regarding this possible new law. The great majority of responses called banning street-hockey as un-Canadian. Others protested that it would keep our young ones from getting much-needed physical activity. Many others said it was simply "stupid."

On the other side of the fence, some people regarded it as a safety issue that was unfortunate but necessary thanks to the thoughtlessness of drivers. A few more found the fact that kids played hockey in the streets as dangerous to society. These are probably the same people who cover their windows with aluminum foil to protect them from spy satellites, but they are welcome to an opinion too.

One side note: almost half the responses said that street hockey should be allowed on cul-de-sacs and dead ends. Until this debate, I was unaware that cul-de-sacs were in any way different from dead ends. The things you learn.

So the debate will rage at council tonight. Some councillors will grandstand for the cameras, taking which ever side scores them the most political capital. Some others will listen and argue logically for whichever side they feel makes the most sense socially. A few will ask that council spend more time on issues that really matter. In the end a decision will be made, and a new bylaw, or re-wording of the present one will result.

We're so good at banning things we feel a threat. My son has a person on his paper route who quite loudly protests a few times a year that he doesn't want a paper delivered...even though my son has never done so. There's a huge outcry locally to ban "street parties" so those horrible Queen's students stop the insane nonsense on Aberdeen street. There is provincial legislation that takes away a driver's license for some offences.

And the result?

Well, my sister would never deliver the unwanted paper, and feel badly that the man was upset at getting one even though she didn't give it to him. She'd stay away from Aberdeen street if God forbid, she ever had her license pulled...she'd not drive.

My brother would leave a pile of papers neck-high on the guy's stoop; dance on an overturned burning car on Aberdeen...even if it wasn't Homecoming, and if you ever took his license away, he'd have driven anyway.

And my point?

My mom learned a long long time ago that you can't legislate good behaviour. But if you lay out a litany of rules and regulations, you can bring out the worst in some people.

Car!