January 3, 2008

  • Eeenie Meanie Miny Rock paper

    My son, who really is a bright boy, didn't realize he had to be back at school today.  When he figured it out, last night, he had an impromptu gathering of friends over to the house.  Sort of a goodbye until spring break thing.   

    So I overheard the kids playing the rock, scissors, paper game.  We didn't have that when I was a kid.  We had the unsophisticated, and sometimes racist, eanie meanie,  miny, moe.   Then of course when we were old enough to figure out that if you started out as eanie, then you would be the chosen one, you started adding words.  "Eanie, meanie, miny, moe, catch a tiger by his toe, if he hollers, let him go, eanie, meanie, miny, moe, and I don't want to be picked , so I am adding words, and your too dumb, to know it."  The bad boys always used the " N" word instead of tiger.  As a matter of fact I think those were the original words.  Which is why, really it's just racist, period.

    The first time I remember witnessing the rock, paper, scissors, my kids were pretty young.  They had figured out long ago that eanie, meanie, wasn't the best way of choosing.  "  What are you doing?" I asked.  And that was my first lesson in rock, paper, scissors.  " I don't get it"  I said, " scissors would always beat paper, just say scissors all the time."  They explained that yes, that's true, but rock beats scissors and paper beats rock.  " Why does paper beat rock?" I asked. " Paper is thin, thats dumb."  My five and seven year old did their " could she be any stupider sigh," and tried to explain it again.  I still didn't get it.  It gave me a headache.  I didn't see what was wrong with eanie, meanie, that made so much more sense.  Of course tigers really don't have toes and even if they did, I think if you caught one by it, it would do a lot more than holler, but still.

    With eanie meanie, you didn't have to think.  You didn't have to wonder if tigers beat lions or anything like that.  And you could always add words to work it to your advantage. 

    People just make things way too complicated now. 

    At the risk of having you all make the " could she be any stupider?" sigh, I still think rock should beat paper. Look at paper weights? 

    Oh well, anyone up for a game of duck, duck, goose?

Comments (29)

  • I never understood the rock,paper, scissors thing either. Why doesn't everyone just draw straws? Short straw loses. Simple.

  • As I was explained, scissors cut paper, rock smashes scissors, but paper covers rock. And that's why.

    But then we'd add our own actions, like Volcano melts everything or Hurricane blows everything away and just forget the point of the game and get downright silly.

  • I could never remember what beat what in rock, paper, scissors either. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe is more my speed too. My kids used to do 'thumb war' when they were little. You know, where you hold hands and try to pin the opponent's thumb down. They always made me laugh because instead of saying just 'one, two, three, four, I declare thumb war' they would keep going up to twelve and then do a ninja howl before they began.

  • About the time I finally got a handle on rock paper scissors the game changed... Grrrr... I give up! LOL

    Hugs'n'Smooches!

  • How about "one potato, two potato, three potato, four.." or "bubblegum, bubblegum in a dish..." LOL My brother and I used to play RPS and I hated playing with him b/c he always slapped my WAY too hard when he beat me!! Use dinomite.. it trumps everything!!! Enjoy your night

  • This reminds me of a Demetri Martin joke:

    Rock Paper Scissors

    The one I'm thinking of starts about a minute in.

    Also, thanks for not adding that the rock paper scissors was to decide which team was going first for beer/water/pop (depending on who you were) pong.

  • So if you start with eenie..... gosh I wish I had known that.

    http://itotd.com/articles/485/rock-paper-scissors-tournaments/

  • http://itotd.com/articles/485/rock-paper-scissors-tournaments/

    Sorry that this didn't link above.  

  • OMG, you are too funny!

  • I like Rock, Paper and Scissors... and then there was the one where you slap the wrist with wet fingers to see who could endure the most pain.  Children really are sadistic.

    I get to sleep in two more days... added to my sleep twice this week... ugh, a nap. I think I am the bigger loser.

    Hugs, Tricia

  • I'll stick to hide n' seek...LOL...

  • My kids used inky binky bonky, daddy had a donkey, the donkey died, daddy cried, inkiy binky bonky --

    I'll sitck with the old fashioned method of yelling "not it" over and over again until you shout down your opponents. Oh wait, I think the actual goal is to not be the last to shout,but I prefer the overpowering method!I

  • I love/miss duck, duck, goose.
    Wait, we're not talking about the bad kind of duck this time are we?

    I always figured, like someone pretty much already said, scissors cuts paper, rock smashes scissors, but I always thought- paper beats rock 'cause rock can't really do any damage, paper won't squish or anything.

  • THANK YOU for this post!  I have always thought R-P-S was a dumb thing...or maybe I was dumb or whatever.  If we're stupid, at least we have company.  :)   [And I think you are FAR from stupid, Laura.]

  • It must be an evil conspiracy by the paper makers to overtake the rock quarry people.

  • Today?  That's so early!
    RYC: Muriel's Wedding came out in 1995.  I bet you would love it.

  • Yeah. paper covers rocks, but that doesn't make sense to me either.

  • Just read your last 2 posts and they were funny! Ha ha! I laughed out loud. I was also happy to finally find out why you and your ex still live together. Wow, I typed "love together" accidentally the first time, do you think that means anything?  I agree about the rock/paper relationship, but maybe there's a deeper meaning for us to see when we become rock/paper/scissors zen masters.  Thanks for always making me feel kind of wacky!

  • I think you just have to have something to beat rock. Either way you'll always win. Maybe the idea is paper covers rock so it can't see? Wait..do rocks have eyes?

    I thought tiger's did have toes...but I agree if you caught one by one...you'd be in for more than holler!

  • i love rock-paper-scissors.  whether it makes sense or not, at least it's more of a game of chance and less strategy.  (did you know they have competitions? -there is some strategy). 

    what about that bubble-gum-bubble-gum-in-a-dish thing?

  • we did "rock, paper, scissors" and then the other coun of games like "one potato, two potato". i taught mine and jacob likes the potato one best. he cackles when we do that. hehe

  • We were taught the racist version of eanie meany too. My grandfather had small dark brown mongrel which had a racist name too. I cringe thinking about it now. My best friend in school was black, seeing the abuse she went through because of her skin colour ensured that I never picked up the mindset of my elders.

  • How about Rock-Jesus-Blood? See  here:http://www.xanga.com/private/yourhome.aspx?user=coffeeiv&nextdate=12%2f1%2f2007+23%3a59%3a59.999

  • Oh I love duck duck, goose goose!!

    Have a great week end.

  • OK---well, what happens to the paper when it is covering the rock and the wind kicks up? huh? huh? Yeah....ask the kiddies that one? You are right about the paper weight observation!

  • I so suck at playing rock, paper, scissors.

  • No clue to any of those games

  • I'll play....I love Duck duck goose.  We must've grown up at the same time, because we did Eenie meenie with the same bad words.  We had bad words for Brazil Nuts, too. 

    Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?

  • I of course was the dumb kid who never figured out her older siblings and their friends added words to their advantage so that I was always it!
    Being the youngest and considered a tag-along sucks!

    And no, duck duck goose terrified me! I was a girly girl and did NOT want to be anywhere near a MUSH POT! LOL

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