To the woman I watched cut the tetherball down this morning at The Jefferson Playground archived

I think what makes this such a 'hot topic' is the fact that the tether ball cutter was not your typical teenager vandal. If it was just another teen who cut the ball down or graffitied the walls, that would be pretty 'normal' -- but that's not the case with the actor described..

ridski said:

Nauset_Marsh said:

actually I think it was justifiable , after hearing the behavior of these 2 young men for 2 hours, in the presence of families and small children.

I think you should probably just put the ball back now.

Any parent who was present could have just told the two boys, "Shut the fcuk up. Can't you see there are kids around?"

It is truly bizarre behavior to cut down AND walk away with school property. But then again, some people are so self-righteous when it comes to their precious offspring, anything is possible.

My favorite sanctimommy line of all time. My kid was running up the slide (with no other kids on it, so not putting any other kids in danger). A similarly aged kid ran over and gave it a try. Sanctimommy said, loudly, "I see that maybe her mommy doesn't care if she gets hurt running up the slide, but your mommy does. So you can't do it."

adifferentone said:

It is truly bizarre behavior to cut down AND walk away with school property.

I think it was 'drive away'. Which seems more bizarre.

Nauset_Marsh said:

If it was a court of Law I would rule in favor of Justifiable Tethercide.

Witty, but it's not a court of law. There are better ways of confronting that problem.

adifferentone said:

ridski said:

Nauset_Marsh said:

actually I think it was justifiable , after hearing the behavior of these 2 young men for 2 hours, in the presence of families and small children.

I think you should probably just put the ball back now.

Any parent who was present could have just told the two boys, "Shut the fcuk up. Can't you see there are kids around?"

Watch your f*cking language.

adifferentone said:

My favorite sanctimommy line of all time. My kid was running up the slide (with no other kids on it, so not putting any other kids in danger). A similarly aged kid ran over and gave it a try. Sanctimommy said, loudly, "I see that maybe her mommy doesn't care if she gets hurt running up the slide, but your mommy does. So you can't do it."

Hah, WOW.

Possible scenario: Mom brought the tetherball to the playground a few days ago and installed it. At the end of the day, the knot was too tight and she couldn't untie it. So she came back a few days later with scissors and cut the rope. I'm basing this theory on the multiple eye-witness reports that there hasn't been a ball there in years.

kthnry said:

Possible scenario: Mom brought the tetherball to the playground a few days ago and installed it. At the end of the day, the knot was too tight and she couldn't untie it. So she came back a few days later with scissors and cut the rope. I'm basing this theory on the multiple eye-witness reports that there hasn't been a ball there in years.

That is a compassionate theory.

Tom,
You are too kind to kthnry!!

Hey, I think it's a viable theory, given the evidence we have! Does it make more sense to believe that some crazy lady decided to steal a tetherball that someone else had put up just a few days ago?

kthnry said:

Hey, I think it's a viable theory, given the evidence we have! Does it make more sense to believe that some crazy lady decided to steal a tetherball that someone else had put up just a few days ago?

I'm with you. All the locals say that there hasn't been a tetherball in years.

The most likely scenario is the one that kthnry posited.

Thank you!

eliz said:

kthnry said:

Hey, I think it's a viable theory, given the evidence we have! Does it make more sense to believe that some crazy lady decided to steal a tetherball that someone else had put up just a few days ago?

I'm with you. All the locals say that there hasn't been a tetherball in years.

The most likely scenario is the one that kthnry posited.

I second this. Maybe they had a gathering during the weekend and brought it for that reason, and then forgot it or couldn't get it down. She probably watched the kid play for a few minutes, realizing the awkwardness of the situation! This is far less dramatic than an irate neighbor looking for payback from some foul-mouthed young hooligans. Alas.

I wonder if these discussions take place on the Queensbridge Houses boards...

I'm voting for that it was a staging of a new theater piece by an Antonin Artaud acolyte "I'll cut you Wilson"

We must stand up to the grey car supremacists and get to the bottom of this mystery.

First they came for the tetherballs.......

jinkies!!! did someone say mystery?

cuethesun said:

I wonder if these discussions take place on the Queensbridge Houses boards...

This thread is officially funny now, even though not many people will know your reference.

Queensbridge or Queensview?

Many years ago when I lived in queens, I was invited to a birthday get together at a apt in Queensbridge Houses and while there I heard gunshots outside.. the host said "oh that's normal" -- i'll settle for a stolen tetherball

"All the locals say that there hasn't been a tetherball in years. "

It was a ghost tetherballl.

That's why a ghost lady with ghost scissors came and took the ghost tetherball.

And then drove to another dimension in her ghost car.

Honestly, after almost 15 years dealing with SOMSD, I cannot imagine for a minute the school would have a ball attached to the tetherball pole, with the potential for injury (hypothetical or otherwise) it might present.

adifferentone said:

My favorite sanctimommy line of all time. My kid was running up the slide (with no other kids on it, so not putting any other kids in danger). A similarly aged kid ran over and gave it a try. Sanctimommy said, loudly, "I see that maybe her mommy doesn't care if she gets hurt running up the slide, but your mommy does. So you can't do it."

@adifferentone: this cracked me up!

max_weisenfeld said:

Honestly, after almost 15 years dealing with SOMSD, I cannot imagine for a minute the school would have a ball attached to the tetherball pole, with the potential for injury (hypothetical or otherwise) it might present.

Perhaps it would be possible to inquire from the school or the district whether they actually placed a tether ball there, although it's much more fun for us to speculate. Even assuming that the ball was privately set up does not mean that the ball cutter was cutting her own family's ball. She could have been stealing someone else's. But if you cut down an illegally installed ball, would it be considered theft?

Don't remember exact time but last Friday evening while walking the dog, sometime after 5pm but before 8pm, I saw a group of older kids, a few boys and a few girls, tie the string to ball and then attach to the pole. They were older than the kids who attend Jefferson, maybe older mid school kids or high school. I remember thinking how nice and cute they took effort to do so they could play. Sorry a curmudgeon took the ball down.

.

what's most unfortunate is that it is near the site where Washington played tetherball with his hosts during the Revolutionary War while taking a break from watching troop movements in the Battle of Springfield from atop the Reservation.

Thanks to Oldstone and Hankzona for making me laugh - I needed it this morning

eliz said:

kthnry said:

Hey, I think it's a viable theory, given the evidence we have! Does it make more sense to believe that some crazy lady decided to steal a tetherball that someone else had put up just a few days ago?

I'm with you. All the locals say that there hasn't been a tetherball in years.

The most likely scenario is the one that kthnry posited.

+2.

@Oldstone… LOL!