The Fire Chief of Morton, IL He is using Pokemon to connect to the kids in his town.
It seems like once a year I am, for one reason or another, compelled to unleash a stream of consciousness upon the internet. I sit down and start typing as if I’m writing a novel and it just flows out of me. It’s therapeutic I guess. Well, lucky you, today is that day. Luckily, no one I know has the time or patience required to read more than a few sentences, so the backlash should be minimal.
When I was a young kid growing up in a small town almost every day in the summer was spent outside with the neighborhood kids playing war. Some days you were the Americans and some days you were the Germans. Sticks were guns and Walnuts that fell from the tree and made your hands stink were hand grenades and no one died for more than 5 seconds because there weren’t enough of us playing to keep it going it everyone was dead.
With only a minimal pause to eat supper at 5:30 (this varied by household) we played until dark, when the war was suddenly over, without a clear victor, to catch lighting bugs in a baby food jar filled with grass (which we were convinced was their only food source) and holes poked in the lid with a nail…and eventually to take a unwanted bath with bubbles that you were too old and too proud to admit to using and which left a ring of dirt around the tub.
Last Saturday we had a cookout at our house and a mother was rightfully concerned that her son was running around the neighborhood playing with a nerf gun that might be mistaken for a real criminal, with a real gun and shot by police, or anyone else for that matter. After spending a few seconds wrapping my head around that reality, one that I had never even considered, I realized that she was entirely right to be concerned. I couldn’t think of a single way to make myself believe that that couldn’t happen.
We don’t live in my small town anymore and we can’t play war; at least not outside. Kids don’t go outside until dark now. They sit inside and they have wars on a computer with friends that aren’t neighbors, but live in another state or another town or another country. We secretly like that they do this because it’s safe. Because we live in a world of distrust and fear.. Kids do, I do, we all do.
Last week as the violence unfolded and Dallas I was sitting with 2 cops who were suddenly inundated with text from family and friends. Those texts were texts of concern for their safety. Are you at work? Watch your back, they’re killing cops! they said. We live in a day where sending cops to work feels for a family more like sending them off to war. For reasons I don’t understand lunatics kill people in night clubs, people at work, people anywhere and everywhere. No one is safe. No one knows when they’ll be the one to be shot. Today we live in a real war that doesn’t pause for dinner or lighting bugs.
Where does it all come from? hate? opinions? politics? attitudes? ignorance? Does it really have anything to do with color or sexual preference or religion or which bathroom someone uses (remember that one from 2 weeks ago? )Where does it end? When will we collectively decide we’ve had enough? Where will we draw the line? Will we draw the line?
Today I decided where I draw the line and it’s at Pokemon attacks. Yes, Pokemon. You see, last night I drove by a street corner in my town that I guess is a tiny park in that it has a bench, a planter, a drinking fountain and garbage can. Last night at dusk this little park had around 15 young people in it staring at their phones. After a little research I figured out that this was a Pokestop and that someone had inserted a lure module that was attracting Pokemon AND human kids.
Today the internet is blowing up with anti-Pokemon hate sentiment from people that are confused or feel violated or concerned or have become accustomed to complaining about whatever comes along. Some people spend hours figuring out how this and everything else is offensive and ruining their lives. It’s seems to me that there’s no sense of scale anymore, Pokemon hunters walking on your lawn is equally as offensive and scary and terrorists.
But, what I saw on that street corner made me feel like I was in a small town again. Kids were outside and it was almost dark! Yes, staring at their phones, but outside. There were no riots, no fear, no hate. No one was shooting and no one seemed to be in fear of being shot. There may have been some blacks and gays and islamic or jewish people there (it was too dark to tell) and yet everyone seemed fine and as far as I know, no one’s life was actually ruined there last night on that street corner hunting Pokemon. As far as I was concerned they were playing a modern version of war, until dark, and I realized that I appreciate that I live in a town where that can happen and did happen.
So, tonight I’m going to go downtown in my uniform and I’m going to insert a lure module and I’m going to see who shows up. And if anyone comes I’m going to talk to them like a person and I may ask them how to battle in a gym because I have no idea what that even means; but I will find out because I want to be a part of this silly, probably short lived game that is a diversion from the reality of a life. A game that is so powerful that kids are going outside, into the world despite the fear. Maybe someone will catch lighting bugs for the first time and put them in a baby food jar filled with grass and holes poked in the top with a nail.
And I’m going to hope that in some strange and unapparent way that a stupid Pokemon game is the beginning of some different direction that we can all take. Maybe at least it will be tonight.
And, if you’re a Pokemon hater then ask yourself why. How will it ruin your life? Maybe consider that you can put that effort toward hating something else that will make the world a better place as a result. Maybe hate people that shoot cops that are standing on a street corner doing their job of protecting the people that are protesting against them, because they understand that is a right that we have in this county.
But, if not, then at least leave the kids alone. Maybe they need a little Pokemon right now. Maybe if all the adults went outside and acted like they were interested in what the kids were doing we’d all be better off. I’ll even help you out. Ask them how to get to level 5 and then stand back and shut up while they tell you.
This is on Facebook. I have copied and pasted this so others can see.
