September 25, 2015 - 15:30
When we think back to our fondest childhood memories, we may linger on times of play. Whether this play was by ourselves or amongst others, with toys or with imagination, unstructured or guided – play is a universal pleasure that is equally yearned for between children and adults, regardless of environment. “Kid Stuff” by Molly Knefel, “Taking Play Seriously” by Robin Marantz Henig, and “Playing in Industrial Ruins” by Tim Edensor can illuminate this concept in Butterfly’s post. Stuart Brown, the President of the National Institute of Play, describes play as fundamental to the production of learning, memory, and well-being. This might explain why play is so greatly sought out by both children and adults.
Play is a universal pleasure for children, regardless of environment. Molly Knefel is a teacher in the Bronx whose students deal with “grown-up heavy stuff,” such as drugs, sex, violence, and poverty. In “Kid Stuff.” Knefel argues that these stressful parts of a child’s life does not garner a child any less deserving of play. Play is universal rather than a luxury, and to believe that certain children are not capable of play is prejudiced. It is this same mindset that allows someone to shoot an unnarmed Black teenger for stealing a cigarette box, or to arrest a Muslim student for creating a clock – both true incidents that happened recently. Knefel herself states, “[This mindset] turns their toy guns into real threats, their pool parties into emergencies.” Knefel’s article sheds a light on Butterfly’s post. Whether she was in gunshot-heavy Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic or quaint Lynn, Massachusetts, Butterfly was still seeking a way to play. While waiting for shootings to be over in Santa Domingo, Butterfly would still be thinking about how she might try winning their game once they resumed. After moving to Lynn, Butterfly continued to hold the same fervor for play – expediting her homework so that she could play with her neighbor after school. Perhaps play allowed Butterfly a momentary escape from an otherwise stressful event in Santa Domingo, thus rendering play attractive for children across all borders. This also rings true for children in history. Henig’s article, “Taking Play Seriously” mentions how “children’s yearning for play naturally burst forth even amidst the horror” of the Holocaust. This suggests that play is an almost instinctive impulse that is deeply rooted in children. On the other hand, Henig’s article mentions a different pattern observed in animals. According to studies, velvet monkeys decreased their play almost completely during periods of drought. Similarly, studies found that squirrel monkeys would not play when their favorite food sources were unavailable. The article also mentioned that play did diminish for humans in scenarios where children suffered extreme and long-term chronic deprivation, abuse, or famine – yet the article included no evidence or study to back this claim. Butterfly concludes grandly at the end of her post, “Kids just want to play, and they’ll find a way to do so regardless.”
Play is also a universal pleasure for adults, regardless of environment. Tim Edensor demonstrates in “Playing in Ruins” that some types of play are typically carried out by adults rather than children. He categorizes this play as Destructive, Hedonistic, Artistic, or Adventurous. But while Edensor believes that these types of play occur in ruins, Butterfly’s post suggests that these types of play can actually happen in any environment and is not simply limited to ruins. In Butterfly’s post, Butterfly describes her grandma’s neighborhood as “not the safest in Santa Domingo” after her game was interrupted by bullets. Although the post does not detail who shot these guns, a possible explanation could be gang violence or some other type of fighting between adults. According to Edensor’s article, these type of actions could represent Destructive play. It is hard to gain a clear understanding of what Butterfly’s home is like from the post, but it would probably be impossible to discern if their neighborhood qualified as “ruins.” Regardless, Butterfly’s post illustrates that play is a universal pleasure for adults, no matter the environment.
No matter what conclusions are drawn about play, there is no denying that it is an amazing, real, tangible, persisting aspect of our lives. Brown explains, “Look at life without play, and it’s not much of a life.” This statement rings true for both children and adults. Life is bleak and pessimistic without the leisurely, unfettered, joyous nature of play. Simply observing a child at play might demonstrate how significant play really is, even without a scientific study to back the claim. Henig urges, “Watch children at play, and the benefits are so obvious: just look at those ecstatic faces, just listen to those joyous squeals.” Regardless of environment, play is undoubtedly a universal pleasure that is equally yearned for between children and adults.
Reference post (Butterfly): /oneworld/changing-our-story-2015/play-my-two-neighborhoods