"Traumatized" by Home-Ec cooking class?

[Taro Toporific]

School cuts cooking classes to protect traumatized kids
(Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, July 6, 2004)
SASEBO, Nagasaki -- An elementary school where a girl fatally stabbed her classmate in June have cancelled cooking classes because teachers are afraid that students might recall the shocking incident when looking at a knife.
The Sasebo Municipal Board of Education states that every elementary school in the city should provide sixth graders with some three hours of cooking classes during the April-July term. But the school has been withholding the classes, with one teacher saying, "We suspect that children will feel sick when they look at knives (during the cooking classes)."
Knife-wielding boy attacks schoolmate(Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, July 7, 2004)
NIIGATA -- An 11-year-old elementary school boy who attacked a schoolmate with a knife has been taken into custody....

[den4]

I read that post, too, and the thought that came to mind was: "When the kids go home and watch their moms cook dinner in the kitchen with the knife out, that will send the kids into a catatonic state and lose their appetite."

far worse than them blinky pokemon anime from a few years ago that caused epileptic fits from flashing lights, eh?

now if they could put some harsh penalties on juveniles that commit crimes to dampen the copycat theme, and get off that non-accountability shtick they have until they reach 20 years of age, now that would be some advancement in the society.... won't happen though....but it may force mainichi to come up with other stories than reporting the stupid antics of the education board...

[kurohinge1]

I read that post, too, and the thought that came to mind was: "When the kids go home and watch their moms cook dinner in the kitchen with the knife out, that will send the kids into a catatonic state and lose their appetite." ...

I had the same thought. Ridiculous isn't it.

The difference is that the school & teachers won't be considered responsible if it doesn't happen at school.

Maybe the school (& teachers) are more concerned of a room full of these "crazy youngsters", armed with school-provided knives?

They could always have virtual cooking classes or use plastic knives

[eightysix]

Geez, what's up with these kids and sharp objects? First Nevada now this kid. Well, at least they aren't running around with scissors or anything.

[khusam]

I thought the girl used a box-cutter...

How many people make meals with one of those?

I think the board or the teachers are just trying to get out of cooking classes. There`s lots of stuff you can make without a knife.

Or is the situation more serious? Are they trying to say that nobody in the education system can tell the difference between a kitchen knife and a box-cutter? That they fear that ALL the kids are prone to going on killing sprees/crying jags when they see sharp tools?

Weird.