Spin, spin, fidget spinners

Fidget toys yesterday and today © Jose Antonio Lopez
“We have been taught to distrust play. Worse, we have been taught that we are not and should not be playful. We have been taught that play is childish, immature, destructive. Taught by people who have themselves lost the path, who were themselves taught by people who believed that fun was, can you believe this: sinful. Taught by people who have inherited a broken culture where common sense has been replaced by common senselessness. Taught that if we work hard enough and long enough and live a life that is dull enough, we will be rewarded – when fun is the reward.” Bernard De Koven
El "fidget spinner" se ha puesto de moda a pesar que fue inventado hace más de 20 años por Catherine Hettinger. A lo largo de todo este tiempo pasó inadvertido pero su popularidad explotó repentinamente. Las reacciones positivas y negativas no se han dejado esperar. Curiosamente lo que pareciera haber disparado las ventas de los spinners fue un artículo de la revista Forbes que los incluía dentro de la lista de juguetes de oficina para el 2017. ¡¡¡¡¡¡Juguetes para adultos!!!!!!! ¿Por qué es curioso? Porque una vez los juguetitos llegaron a manos de los niños se volvieron juguetes malvados. Por ejemplo, recientemente en Alemania los declararon peligrosos para los niños porque contienen piezas pequeñas. Para un niño pequeño desarmar un fidget spinner es casi imposible. La noticia fue celebrada por aquellos que quieren prohibir los spinners porque distraen o son molestos. De hecho los spinners han sido prohibidos en muchos colegios y escuelas en todo el mundo.	Despite having been invented over 20 years ago by Catherine Hettinger, fidget spinners, are today craze toy. For all these years it was barely noticed but suddenly became hot. Both, positive and negative, reactions flooded the social media and news. One of the curious facts about these toys is that probably their popularity burst from an article in Forbes that included them in the list of "office toys for 2017". They were toys for adults!!!! Why is this background relevant? Because once the innocent toys reached the children they became evil. For instance they were banned in Germany because they have small parts. It is barely impossible for a small children to disassemble a spinner. The news were celebrated by those who have labeled the spinners as annoying and distracting and want them our of the schools. Indeed spinners have been banned in many schools all over the world.
Germany is destroying 35 TONNES of fidget spinners today. Can we now all agree that Germany is winning? — NomadChef (@N0madChef) June 16, 2017
La gente pareciera olvidar que los "fidget toys" han existido por siempre. En el colegio usaba el yo-yo y el capirucho. Jugaba con ellos por horas; en clase, en el bus, haciendo tareas o en el recreo. Otras personas se halan el pelo, juegan con las uñas, se truenan las articulaciones, sacuden los pies, mascan chicle o chupan paletas. Algunos prefieren artículos de oficina como lapiceros, clips y, el mejor, burbujas de empaque. Hay otras variantes modernas como el "fidget cube". Pero el rey de todos es el teléfono celular. Se considera que existe un trastorno llamado nomofobia que es el pánico a no tener el movil. La gente que cree en la retórica de que el valor del juego es porque ayuda al desarrollo del niño dudan que los fidget spinners sirvan de algo, especialmente a reducir la ansiedad como fue la intención de Hettinger. ¿Por qué pretendemos que todos los juguetes sean educativos? Está bien que los niños juegan por el puro gusto. Lo que está mal es que los niños se estén quietos. En su libro "The Element", Sir Ken Robinson nos cuenta la historia de Gillian Lynee que fue diagnosticada con problemas de atención pero realmente era una bailarina nata que no se podía estar quieta. Gillian Lynee es una de las más reconocidas coreógrafas gracias a sus aportes a musicales como Cats y El Fantasma de la Ópera. ¿Se imaginan que a Gillian la hubieran mantenido quieta? ¿Cuántos niños diagnosticados con déficit de atención e incluso medicados pudieron ser Gillians?	What people seems to forget is that fidget toys have always existed. I used "capiruchos" and yo-yo's in school. I spent hours with them; in class, on the bus, doing homework or during recess. Other people pull their hair, play with their nails, crack their joints, tap their feet, chew gum or suck a lollipop. Others play with office supplies like pens, paper clips, or the best of all bubble wrap. There are other modern variations such as the "fidget cube". But the king of all fidget toys is the cellphone, indeed there is a non-official disorder called nomophobia or the anxiety of not having a mobile. People who believe in the rhetoric of play as progress or the developmental aspects of play doubt that fidget spinners actually are of any use. There are questions about their capacity to reduce anxiety, as Hettinger intended. Why we have to find a purpose, educational, in a toy? It is OK for children to play with them just because. Having children still is what is wrong and evil. In his book "The Element", Sir Ken Robinson shares the story of Gillian Lynee who was diagnosed as having an attention disorder but she was actually a born dancer who couldn't stay still. Gillian Lynee is one of the most renowned choreographs after her work in Broadway musicals like Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Can you imagine what would have happened to Gillian if they restrained her? How many children misdiagnosed with attention deficit and even medicated could have been like Gillian?
The amazing story of Gillian Lynne © Soul Mama
Desconozco cuál es realmente la motivación de la gente que se opone irracionalmente a los spinners. A veces pienso que en su niñez fueron obligados a estar quietos y no supieron disfrutar del placer de jugar. rechazo escuelas distracción peligro para niños rechazo small parts a favor FEE	I'm not sure why some people fiercely oppose the spinners. Sometimes I think they were forced to stay sill when young and never learned to enjoy the fun of playing for the sake of it.
Photo © Money Update. Me quedé corto, el primer spinner data de hace miles de años. I fell short, the fidget spinner dates thousands of years ago. Proof that there are no original ideas anymore pic.twitter.com/7zPxYha7QQ — Arielle Pardes (@pardesoteric) July 31, 2017