Liberty Minute September 6 2013

Canada is in many ways a very appealing country. Canadians have a well-earned reputation for politeness. Its government, unfortunately, has taken that trait and perverted it into a suffocating form of politically correct paternalism. Canada is a country where someone can face criminal charges for saying something that offends the sensitivities of people who take offense for a living.

The province of Ontario is pioneering new ground in official paternalism by banning the practice of keeping score at youth soccer matches. That initiative, which will begin next year, is part of what has been described as a national program to focus on skill development, rather than competition. Of course, by eliminating score-keeping, the activity ceases to be a sport in any recognizable sense.

The proposal has been parodied ? albeit just barely -- in the CBC satirical program ?This is That,? which suggested that the next step would be to eliminate the use of a ball in youth soccer leagues. This would protect the tender feelings of young participants by eliminating any possible competitive aspect to the experience of playing something called soccer.

Rather than honing skills, this approach will cultivate an aversion to excellence. That?s a prohibitive price to pay for avoiding hurt feelings.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.