My Story
It all started innocently enough. My daughter, Gwen, was turning 4, which is a really magical age. The tantrums were over. She was incredibly curious, loving and outgoing. She was experiencing new things every day.
So I made the fateful decision to throw a pinata party for her. I live in northern California and there are tiendas all over the place selling colorful pinatas in all kinds of shapes, from traditional donkeys to modern characters like Sponge Bob Square Pants. We try not to expose our daughter to too many commercial tie ins, so I went with a nice looking traditional donkey in red, blue green and yellow.
The party itself went wonderfully. Gwen loved the pinata. The kids loved the excitement of breaking it open and, of course, the candy. After all the presents were opened, the cake eaten, and the guests gone home, all Gwen could talk about was how much fun the pinata was. She’d broken it open in one mighty swing and had been reveling in it all day. She even insisted on sleeping with the pinata bat she’d used. I kissed my little girl goodnight, she said “night-night da-da” and rolled over. I turned off the lights, not knowing that this would be the last night by daughter would sleep in innocence.
I woke up the next morning not to an alarm going off or the sun shining in my eyes, but the crunch of the pinata bat breaking my zygomatic bone. Gwen had woken up early, about 5:30 am, still excited about the pinata party. She wanted more. She’d come into the room and when I didn’t wake up to her whispers of “da-da,” she’d took the bat hit me with it, giggling in delight. I was stunned by the initial hit and Gwen whacked me with the bat two or three more times before my wife realized what was happening and stopped it.
When we tallied the damage up, my zygomatic was broken in two places, I had a tooth knocked out, my cheek split, requiring a few stitches, a concussion and blurred vision in one eye. But the worst thing wasn’t the physical damage done to me, it was the emotional damage done to my daughter. She thought she was just coming in to wake me up and then have some fun, but the response to “the fun” was clear – she’d done something very, very bad. Neither my wife nor I tried to make Gwen feel bad, but my months of convalescence did it anyway. The happy, loving, outgoing 4 year old was gone. In her place is a shy, withdrawn little girl who is reminded of what she did every time she sees the scar on my cheek.
Gwen has been in counseling and it is helping some. During my recovery, I looked up pinata related violence and discovered that it is pervasive – and virtually unreported to the police! I resolved to do something about this epidemic of violence. I’ve lobbied government officials to ban pinatas. I’ve done speeches at PTA meetings and community centers. Eventually a friend made me this web site so I could take my story to the internet and educate more than just the people in my little community about the dangers of pinatas.
I am often accused of racism because of my vehement opposition to pinatas – northern California has a large Mexican population after all. But I want to be clear that this has nothing to do with the people of Mexico. Yes, they are largely a violent society, with the pinatas, the bull fights, the criminals coming across our borders and what not. But for the most part they seem to be hard workers – they mow our yards, clean our houses and pick up our trash. I applaud them for trying to make a better life for themselves. But I deplore the importation of their violent “sports” like pinata bashing parties.
I hope my story has moved you to join my fight against pinatas. If you want to help, there are lots of things you can do. Pressure your elected officials to ban pinatas. Refuse to attend pinata parties. Picket tiendas that sell pinatas. Introduce your friends and family to my site. Together we can make sure that the premature end of innocence pinatas brought down on my daughter doesn’t happen to your kids.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Wow. I was searching for pinatas for my son’s birthday and found your site. Thank you for posting your story! We decided to go with a clown instead.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
you’re an idiot – should we ban forks and knives as well? get a life!
March 21st, 2008 at 2:42 pm
hi confused, thanks for reading. The difference between forks and knives is that neither of those are designed specifically to incite violence, while pinatas, even more than violent television, encourage our kids to do violence.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I am a ER doc and we see alot of pinata related injuries. Some are very serious and cause permanent disfigurement. Tony MD
April 5th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Maybe you should know not to let a child sleep with a bat. Maybe your child is too young for such an activity. Young children do not understand that others feel pain too.
It is a game Should we ban baseball too? Football ? Anything in which you might possibly get hurt?
Maybe you should understand that bad things happen and you can’t ban everything or protect everyone from everything. Maybe you should go hide under your bed or just stop being a drama queen.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:05 am
As unfortunate as it is,what happened to you…its fanatics like yourself,who take the fun and magic out of the lives of so many innocent children and parents.
With all due respect,I believe your daughter is in counseling because of the “BIG DEAL” you made out of what happened to YOU!!
25 yrs ago my son woke me with a hard wooden mallet from a childs workbench….we laugh and enjoy that silly “unfortunate” mishap,today….perhaps prayfully, someday you will be able to do the same!
April 7th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Bravo, +2 internets!
April 8th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
You have turned an accident of a young child into one of the most important seeming ordeals on the planet. I still remember going to parties with pinatas and having fun with the whole trying to find the candy. The activity was origianally meant for enjoyment, not what you are making it out to be. Do I have a history of violence because I bashed a pinata? No i do not. Maybe you should put some more thought into your feelings about an enjoyable activity.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Obviously, not everyone exposed to a corrupting influence is going to be corrupted by it. BUT – if we know that pinatas lead to violence – and we do! – then why risk exposing our most precious resources, our children, to something that could harm them? Obviously, we shouldn’t.
April 18th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Your a fool! First it’s Pinatas, next the Jews and the Blacks…
April 18th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Wow I was amazed by your story and deeply moved by the suffering your family endured by this tragic event. It never even crossed my mind that it would have anything to do with racism until I read that second to last paragraph. Not only have you been accused of racism, it is clear to me that YOU ARE RACIST!! Not only do you accuse an entire society of being violent (completely prejudiced and based entirely on movies and media) You use pinatas bull fights and criminals crossing the border as examples of violence. Then you say that they mow your grass clean your house and pick up your trash. For your information that is a very small segment of the Mexican population in this country. It is however the only one people like you are exposed to. Pinatas are not violent. In my life I have never heard of a child confusing a human for a pinata. A child who would beat his or her parent with a pinata stick is completely deranged. Dont blame the pinata or the Mexican people. I doubt this has ever happened before in the 150 year or so history of the pinata. The real problem is your child!! P.S. Just how strong is this four year old? how could you not wake up after the first hit??
April 19th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Patricia, I see this is your second post on my site. I am glad that my story has engaged you, and I am sorry that you’ve gotten the wrong impression. As I said in response to your other post, I am not a racist. You mistake my comments completely. Culture in the United States worships violence. But physical violence is more incorporated into daily life in Mexico and throughout South America and places like Africa. Life is simply more violent there. The police on the streets carry sub machineguns! Thousands cheer while bulls are inhumanely killed. Bull fighters are like rock stars in South America. Why should we make our own violence worship worse by importing more violent activities like pinata bashing from Mexico? That’s not racism. Also, keep in mind that in the area I live, there is a very large hispanic population, and good percentage of that population is illegal. I am well aware that there are a lot of Hispanics that are doctors, lawyers, and politicians, but in California, 9 times out of 10, the gardener and house cleaner is going to be hispanic. It is a function of socio-economic conditions, not racism. In the South, where I lived for a few years, you were far more likely to have a black person as a gardener or house keeper. Again, not racism, but a function of the socio-economic conditions of the area. Now, racism may play a role in creating those conditions, but how can I be accused of being a racist because I have hispanics doing the cleaning and gardening? I didn’t try to hire hispanics to do the jobs. I just called somebody in the yellow pages.
You’d be surprised how strong a four year old can be. But consider, I was sound asleep when she hit me the first time. My arms were inside the covers. That first blow stunned me and I couldn’t get my arms out to protect my head. I realize it seems absurd, but, stranger things do happen.
April 19th, 2008 at 11:53 am
I’m very sorry that this incident happened to you, I’ve gone to many pinata parties and have seen accidents happen, most however have happened in trying to find a place to hang the pinata, not so much the day after. I really feel that educating your kids on violence is a better tactic than banning and lobbying against a cultural game. The game has been around for hundreds of years with very little change so it’s still very premative. I do know of a product called DaLe DaLe pinata game kit. This company is doing a wonderful job on making over the game, they are making it safer and funner. check out the website @ http://www.whosdale.com
April 25th, 2008 at 9:51 am
You say you’re not racist against mexicans and then you say this: “Yes, they are largely a violent society, with the pinatas, the bull fights, the criminals coming across our borders and what not.” That is pretty much the defenition of racism – stereotyping a race as violent. Is this a big joke?! You cannot be serious about pinata violence, maybe letting your young daughter sleep with a weapon was your mistake. Not a colorful candy filled pinata! You are retarded, I hope you get deported to Mexico to live in their violent society.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
It is amazing how people will respond with a knee jerk reaction when presented with an opinion they disagree with. If I say America is a violent society, and it is, who am I stereotyping? White people in Texas who pack guns? Blacks in New Orleans who lost their homes? Or suburban white kids who shoot up their schools?
Mexico is a nation of many races – indigenous populations, mixed race populations that combined the indigenous DNA with the European conqueror’s DNA, even nearly pure blooded European stock. Who am I being racist towards when saying that Mexican society, their culture, is violent? No one. I am not assigning violence to any DNA profile, I am assigning it to an environment that promotes violence. There is a huge difference.
Unfortunately, my comments about Mexican culture seem to have taken the spotlight off of why I created this site – to educate people like you about the dangerous influence pinatas can have on our impressionable youth.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:32 am
If you want people to take you seriously, spell the word right: it’s piñata.
Also, drop the notion that lobbying to ban anything will stop violence. Legislation does not fix people’s hearts.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:16 am
You gave a **four year old** a **weapon** she could pick up **at will**.
I know who is to blame here, and it’s not the pinata. It’s the damn parents.
And for the record, guns don’t kill people. People will guns, kill people. People make decisions to do things with objects. Including pinata bats. You are trying to ascribe blame to the object, when you should be ascribing blame to yourself for exposing your daughter to an event she obviously wasn’t mature enough to handle, and to your daughter for not being mature enough as a four year old not to hit.
That being said, we had a pinata party for my 2 year old. Went off without a hitch. My 2 year old, not to mention his friends, could tell the difference between whacking a paper object, like hitting a baseball with a bat, and whacking a human being. I really fear parents like you, who ascribe fault to inanimate objects instead of your own lack of discipline towards your precious children. I hope our children never meet.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:25 am
hi Spelling Nazi. I do know how to spell pinata, but have not been able to figure out how to make the character.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:32 am
e.p.,
We did not give our daughter the bat to sleep with. We’re not idiots. She woke up before us and went and found the bat.
I have to disagree with you about guns not killing people. If a child picks up a loaded gun and it goes off and kills her, did she kill herself, or did the gun kill her? I generally agree that in the absence of people using guns, guns wouldn’t kill people, but study after study has demonstrated that if you can eliminate or severely curtail access to guns, particularly hand guns, murder and violence rates go down, so while technically you are correct in saying guns don’t kill people (it is the bullet that kills after all) the fact is that the availability of guns leads to innocent deaths.
The same rationale applies to piñatas (Spelling nazi – I figured it out.) Creating violent scenarios like a piñata party only puts people in harm’s way.
And I fear parents like you who are so careless with their child’s safety that they wouldn’t appreciate being made aware of the potential danger of piñata parties – backed up with statistics no less. I also hope our children never meet.
April 30th, 2008 at 10:26 am
So you had the bat where the child could find it. Still, in my opinion, your kids’ fault. Either (a) it was accessible or (b) she is not properly trained how to act like a responsible child. By four, your children should know better than to hit, bite or kick.
An inanimate object is incapable of harm. It is the intents and motivations of humans which drive to senseless injuries and deaths. Dealing with those intents and motivations is what makes us safe, not the removal of those implements. If someone can’t find a pinata bat, they will find something else. You can use a soda can to incapacitate someone, do you propose we get rid of soda, V8, all food in tin cans, etc? A hardcover bible could leave someone without a few teeth and some scars, do you now propose we ban books? No. It’s ridiculous. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.
I’m not careless with my children’s safety. I’m probably one of the more cautious parents you will meet. My kids don’t watch TV, my kids aren’t into the latest fads, my kids attend private school and their mom drops them off. We care greatly about their safety. But not senselessly.
I’ve been to the pinata party, done that, got the T shirt, and guess what, my kid came back with candy. That’s it. Maybe because my kids know better than to beam someone over the head with a pinata stick. Maybe because, even at two, he can discern a pinata from a human.
Your statistics are weak, at least two are speculative opinion, not to mention they are not sourced. For all I know you are making them up. Citations, please.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:43 am
I agree very much with e.p.
Though I do not have kids of my own yet, I know how I was personally raised and watch and assist my friends and family with raising their children. I know I was taught from a very very young age that it is under no circumstances alright to hit anyone with anything. My friends and family have been teaching the same thing to all kids of theirs for many generations and we’ve never had any kind of violence such as you describe, and we live in a farming community, where violence is an everyday occurrence and people of multiple cultures clash everyday because of where we are located. Yet we never have incidents of violence involving children. There are multiple guns in every household, yet there has been never been an incident of gun violence (accidental or intentional of any kind) in the past 20 or more years. We are taught as soon as we are old enough to understand the word “No” what is acceptable and what isn’t acceptable. Also, a fair bit of not being sheltered as to the natural occurrences of life helps. We do not shelter our children from violence that happens in hopes that if they don’t see it or know about it they won’t do it. We don’t hide from them the fact that life is difficult and there are bad people, in fact we do almost the opposite, we inform them of it as soon as they are old enough to understand, they learn that it exists and the consequences that they will incur if they do those things, but from the parents and from the law.
Pretending something doesn’t exist isn’t the way to deal with it. You face it head on and deal with it as soon as it’s possible to do so. I don’t know anyone who disagrees that very young children are highly impressionable, even more reason to begin teaching them right from wrong and showing them exactly what is wrong at a young age, so they get that into them from the start and know that life isn’t all parties and fun and games, there are people who do bad things and there’s no way to stop them, they’ll always be there, you have to have the constitution to not become one of them and to be one of the ones who helps to counteract them.
I was raised in this same manner, I’ve been in two fights in my life, both were in defense of someone weaker being attacked by someone far stronger (or a group of stronger). I am a very non-violent person, I don’t like to fight, I always try to first break up a fight, but I also am not so naive to believe that violence will just stop if we take away the bad influences.
Pinata’s aren’t the problem, your child not knowing the difference between a human and a pinata is much more of a problem. At 4 years old she should thoroughly understand the difference between humans and all other objects and that humans are not to be hit. There are many other things she should know as well, but that one in particular pertains to this article. Also, you left the implement in a spot where it could potentially be found and obtained by her, why would you not put it somewhere, such as on top of a cupboard, or the refrigerator, somewhere where a 4 year old cannot reach it.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I have to say this is kind of retarded. I can see where you would want to say “Parents, make sure your child is old enough to understand that hitting a piñata is a game,” or something, but that is the limit of necessity.
And I can see where your child would be traumatized by this experience, but (and I’m not saying you are) don’t tell HER that the piñata was to blame. I just mean, if your daughter specifically were to have another party with a piñata, it would be no big deal because she has learned that hitting a piñata is a game; you wouldn’t have to worry about any premeditated violence. That’s the root of all this: you just have to discern whether your child can handle a piñata or not at their age.
Also the idea of legislating something this trivial is going overboard. No one needs the government to tell them that piñatas are too dangerous; it’s the fault of people whose children aren’t able to handle a piñata yet. And you really can’t help it, so either take the risk or don’t.
As a side note, that video on your site has nothing to do with what you are talking about, which is that piñatas give a child a latent content for violence. The people getting injured in the video got injured by accident or because they were retarded and stood too close, and like I said, if you are going to campaign against accidents then good luck.
As a final thought, I just have to say that the amount of effort I see put in to this cause is ludicrous. No person should be in a situation where operating a site about piñata violence is viable in their life. What do you do? This situation is SO insignificant compared to so many others that I can’t see warranting its existence. As long as you have the time and resources for this site, please overhaul it and adopt a different issue.
I will say this in agreement though: guns propose a different issue than piñatas, and I don’t agree with e.p. on that. The comparison is loose because if someone really, really wants to kill someone, they probably will find an alternate method than with a gun. But no one really, really wants to go hit a piñata, be influenced by it, and then proceed to beat you with the piñata stick. These are two different, and incomparable issues.
May 10th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I am sorry for your ordeal Ron, but your reaction is typical. People are always trying to blame their own shortcomings on someone, or something else. When you introduced the kids to the fun of piñata bashing, if only you had the foresight to say something like: “remember kids, it’s only ok to hit a piñata, but never animals or people!” This one simple sentence could have changed the lives of both you and your child. But you didn’t think of this Ron, obviously this is your fault, not the piñata’s! Don’t feel alone though, by your statistics there are plenty of other parents who didn’t have the common sense to teach their kids about responsibility, or respect for others.
As for guns, you are once again wrong. Guns, or bullets for that matter, can’t kill people on their own, they are inanimate objects with nothing but potential. It is the human who is irresponsible with the gun, by either pulling the trigger, or leaving it in an unsafe place, that is responsible for any damage done.
Kevin makes some great points, we also live in a rural area and own several guns. So at 4 I introduced my daughter to my 9mm handgun, which is always kept in a safe location. I pull it out every time we have to run off some coyotes, so pretending it doesn’t exist would never work. Instead I showed it to her and let her hold it, unloaded of course, and I checked the chamber twice while telling her exactly what I was doing. I told her if she ever wanted to look at it again all she had to do was ask. She asked a few times after that, and each time we explored the gun I took the opportunity to teach her about gun safety. After a while she got bored of the gun, so she has no urge to go looking for it. Better yet, if she does come across a gun somewhere else, she is now thoroughly schooled in gun safety.
It’s unfortunate that in our society common sense is anything but common. It has been replaced by litigation, and protest. Learn to take responsibility for your own mistakes Ron, and for god’s sake teach your children to do the same by stopping this ridiculous crusade against an innocent childhood pastime! If you want to relieve your child’s guilt then tell him the scar on your face was your fault because you never taught him that hitting people with bats was bad!
If you still want to do something more, then make it a crusade of enlightenment. It baffles me that I even need to say this, but TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THAT VIOLENCE IS BAD, AND TO RESPECT LIFE IN ALL IT’S FORMS! Do you really think banning piñata’s will teach children this most important of morals? Please get your priorities straight, fix the problem, not the symptom.
Now, I’m back to finding an alpaca piñata for my kid’s birthday. She’s 7 now, but I’m confident she knows that hitting real alpacas is bad.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:30 am
I’ll personally be staging a piñata protest by smashing as many as I can find.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:12 am
… this is a joke right?
First of all, bullfighting originated in spain! Not in mexico. And we are far less violent than americans! We don’t even have serial killers in Mexico! Whearas you can pick them out by the ton!
Please tell me this whole site is a joke! I have been to so many piñata parties in my life and have NEVER suffered an injury! My parents threw many piñata parties for me and my younger siblings! Yet we never woke our parents up by hitting them with the piñata bat!
Banning piñatas won’t do anything but take the fun out of children’s parties… A CLOWN!? PLEASE!
May 24th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Seeing as how you didn’t reinforce the fact that REAL people and REAL animals could actually be hurt by hitting them, your child was going to experience some form of accidental violence anyway. It just happened to be with a pinata. She had fun HITTING an object, and everyone around her applauded her for smashing it to pieces, why wouldn’t she think it’s funny to do that to something else if you don’t explain to her that real people and creatures can be hurt from something like that?
Just as you said, your child is curious, which is exactly why you need to be explaining such things to her at such a young and tender age. Don’t blame the game for something you forgot to do.
And how dare you make it seem as if being your servants is the highest achievement of another race? You’re truly ignorant if you believe that.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
You know, kids hit baseballs with bats too, and kids sometimes end up in hospitals with baseball injuries. Should we ban baseball now? Child safety, as well as teaching kids right and wrong, is the responsibility of the parents. I think your crusade against pinatas is misguided. Sorry your face was broken.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
One of the things I love about America (and I am always proud to be an American, unlike Michelle Obama) is that we can have such a wonderful civil discourse over subjects about which we disagree.
I want to thank the people who wish me well but disagree with my crusade. Further proof that we live in a wonderful nation.
For everyone who says “four year olds should know better” have you spent much time around one? They do tons of stuff without thinking. They’re still pretty basic creatures. You can teach them right from wrong, but they simply aren’t fully capable at that age to comprehend the consequences of every action.
I would agree that there is an age at which piñatas are probably ok, but when there are so many safe alternatives, like pull string piñatas, why allow something that is basically inciting violence to be sold with the intent that it be used by minors? Especially when so many piñatas are based on intellectual property that the piñata makers don’t have rights for?
Perhaps my position is a radical one. But if I can keep what happened to me from happening to anyone else, isn’t it a worthwhile position to take?
And I was not suggesting that being my servant is the highest achievement for anyone. The following statement is simply a description of the socio-economic situation in northern California. There are a lot of Hispanics here. A large number of them are employed as unskilled labor (car washes, house cleaning, yard work) despite the fact that many may have law or medical degrees from their native lands. Our nanny has both in fact. But can practice neither law nor medicine in the United States. My comments on this subject should be seen in this light. I am not endorsing the situation, I’m simply saying it exists.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Four-year-olds are much more sophisticated than you give them credit for. They have the ability to understand much more than they can even communicate at that age. Unless they are mentally limited, a two-year-old can be taught that it’s OK to hit the piñata, but not OK to hit a person or a real animal. I am puzzled as to why your child didn’t know the difference.
You state “Neither my wife nor I tried to make Gwen feel bad”. Gwen should have been made to feel bad. She did a bad thing! This incident was her fault, and possibly yours for not making it clear to her that hitting people is wrong! She is an individual with a will of her own. The piñata did not break your face, nor possess her and force her to do it, she did it of her own free will and she should have been severely punished.
Another thing that’s great about this country is my freedom to not have your will forced upon me. If I want to have piñata parties for my kids, I will do it, because they are fun for the kids, and with proper supervision, perfectly safe and non-violent if the kids have been properly taught not to direct violence toward people and animals. That’s the parents’ job after all.
I’m sorry, but I think your crusade will ultimately fail because the majority of folks will disagree with your position and you’re not going to change their minds.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:28 am
“Wow. I was searching for pinatas for my son’s birthday and found your site. Thank you for posting your story! We decided to go with a clown instead.”
Oh, the bitter irony there.
June 4th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
If anyone thinks this site is even remotely serious then wow. If this site IS actually serious, then quadruple WOW.
Oh also, can we get some grammar nazi’s(or semi-nazi-ish) on here please? My soul hurts from all of the nearly unreadable comments and blog posts…
On 100% honest, serious note, I got smashed in the head/face with a golf club because my sister didn’t understand that you don’t swing a PUTTER like a crazy person when we were kids. Fast forward 14 years to the present- I think im going to call her and set up a therapy session or two and get a blog set up.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Let me ask you this: If your daughter would not have gotten up early in the morning and hit you. Would you still have been protesting? Before your injuries occured you did not think the way you did. So I think it is to sad that you got injured, but like other people say would you ban vehicles due to accidents, any sports, swimming because of drowning or anything else that people have done and has caused them injury. No of course not. I think you are just being racist.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:05 am
I think ur stupid for wanting to ban Piñata, I was reading the comments u got and the ones against u r right i believe u have no right to ban Piñatas, Just for the stupid incented may other stories against Piñatas where becuase they where to stupid to stand back from the kid hitting the Piñata. Sports cause more damage maybe u showed just ban all sports and tv shows
June 17th, 2008 at 7:53 am
[...] Ok. So, those of you that use Gmail know that it scans your emails for relatable text and then puts little adds around the border. It is no big deal and sometimes helpful though usually off the mark. Well after receiving the email from Roo with the link for his dino pinata video, I noticed a link for this site [...]
June 19th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
You are a racist, indeed! You refer to “Mexicans” in a very derogatory and denigrating way. First of all, the proper term is “Hispanics” or “Latins.” Not all are from Mexico but from other “Hispanic” countries such as South America, Central America or even Spain.
Secondly, you refer to them taking the “lowliest” jobs in society such as mowing yards, cleaning houses and picking up trash. Excuse me, but ALL minorities are forced to take on “menial” jobs in this country, as they are often raised in poverty and have few opportunities to afford higher education which would give them better job positions in society.
Thirdly, you also refer to the “Mexicans” as “crossing” the border who are criminals and are a “violent” society. It is a pity you cannot hide your despise, hatred and bigotry toward this gentle and peaceful society. “Bull fighting” and other such “sports” are a part of their proud culture. Most cultures in ancient times had “blood sports” of one kind or another that used “humans” as sacrifices. At least bullfighting uses an animal instead of a human…..
Fourth, the “Mexicans” did not personally hit you with the bat. Your own daughter did so. Sleep with a bat?! Parenting 101 should have taught you this ABNORMAL and “loving” attachment to a “bat” would almost certainly lead to something more sinister and violent, as is surely did, indeed. Why don’t you let her sleep with a knife or a gun? A bat is considered a weapon by all standards. People sleep with a bat by their beds for protection in the event of an intruder and the like. Bats are used in violent crimes as a battering weapon. Allowing a child to sleep with a potential “weapon” such as a bat is a most disturbing and extremely WRONG choice for a parent to allow this.
Lastly, rather than blaming an entire race of innocent people for your daughter’s violent battering of your face, you should accept responsibility for your own poor parenting choices in this matter. No one is to blame except for you! You are a bigot and a hater who is to be pitied and scorned. You are despicable and deserve the “bat beating” your daughter doled out to you. Each time you look in the mirror at your scar, remember your stupidity and blame no one except yourself!
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:42 pm
@ Holly –
“Wow. I was searching for pinatas for my son’s birthday and found your site. Thank you for posting your story! We decided to go with a clown instead.”
You’re going to let your children beat a clown with a stick? WTF is wrong with you?
August 6th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I first thought your site was a joke when i read it and it seemed pretty funny.
And then I read Holly’s comment.
Seriously, that’s totally bullshit
August 7th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I’m Mexican, I’ve never hit a pinata, I didn’t cross the border, never seen a bullfight except for on TV, but I still want to bash your brains in you racist son of a bitch.
Not because I’m violent, but you are violently and vehemently stupid.
August 7th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
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August 7th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Might I ask Ron, why did you allow your child to sleep with a bat?
August 7th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Not to mention, I believe this probably goes unreported because as you said your own four year old hit you with a bat, not some man attempting to cause harm
If you believe police should be called into a matter where you allowed your child to sleep with a weapon, did not inform the child of the differences between hitting a paper mache pinata and a human being, and after the ordeal ran to ban the practice of using a pinata, which not only is used for merry making (unlike a gun, an actual weapon, which you compare a pinata to) but a practice that was established upwards of 500 years ago, I believe a broken face is not your only problem.
Seriously, “She even insisted on sleeping with the pinata bat she’d used.”
That statement just reeks of ‘asking for it.’
For the sake of common sense, I hope this is a joke, if not, some photos of your injury would be much appreciated as validation, x-rays also would be appreciated.
August 11th, 2008 at 7:07 am
omg hahah i really thought this was a joke. i stumbled upon this looking up info for my Viva Pinata Game
you gotta be kidding buddy
get a LIFE
August 21st, 2008 at 10:10 am
I think I’m stupider for haven’t read your story!
August 21st, 2008 at 10:16 am
There has got to be something wrong with your daughter if at the age of four she does not know the difference between hitting a toy and hitting a person. Were you perhaps covered in paper mache while you were sleeping? Also, explain to me how a grown man cannot fend off a four year old girl? You’ve got to be kidding about this. Viva la piñata!
August 21st, 2008 at 10:20 am
Perhaps next time you should consider buying better candy for your piñata so your daughter doesn’t retaliate against you. Also, please leave the margaritas alone for Cinco de Mayo. Some things are sacred, pal!
August 21st, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I too have found that pinatas are just a problem waiting to happen. I am hispanic, and have never really understood the importance of having them at parties. Last year I made a move to do something different. I created a “Candy Run” for the kids to a) eliminate a child with a weapon b) eliminate the trampling of small children by the bigger ones c) prevent the tears from the kids that don’t get anything d) create a friendlier experience. I spread candies, toys, prizes over a giant grass area in the park, roped it off, and when it was time, I had all the kids circle the area (80+ kids) and make a run for it. The idea is the same with Easter egg hunts. It was a success, and now my family members all do the same thing at their parties. I hate pinatas.
I do see however, how some may think you are being racist. In my area most of the gardeners are Asian, but to generalize about them cleaning your house, mowing your lawn, etc. etc. seems a bit ignorant. Your message gets completely lost once that last paragraph is read.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:54 am
So Val, are your kids so well behaved that they don’t trample over each other fighting for the candy that you’ve hidden? I have never known using a piñata to cause trampling, but a “Candy Run” or Easter Egg Hunt is another story.
August 26th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Val, just let me say that I think your ideas about a candy run are outstanding! I will have to add that to the list of alternatives.
I have considered deleting that paragraph. But you see, I actually added it because people accused me of racism for simply being against piñatas. I suspect I am going to receive that criticism whether that paragraph is there or not, and it does represent reality for a lot of people who live in Northern California. I lived in Miami for several years and know first hand that the situation there is very different.
August 27th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
HAM- The idea is to have the prizes so spread out and readily available that the kids don’t have to fight their way to the prize. I had more than enough candies/toys for every kid to leave with a full bag. And yes, our kids are well behaved. Because they have parents nearby who care.
Ron – Glad to see you found the idea helpful. I’m out here in California, so I make sure to head to the Toy District in Downtown Los Angeles months before our parties. We have 4 storage boxes full of prizes for our party coming up in September. The kids love it. Take care.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:26 am
I hate to say it, but these people are right, sir, you’re a loser. AND a racist. If you only know Mexicans for cleaning your house, picking up your trash and mowing your lawn, that’s not only the biggest generalization that you could make about Mexicans, but it shows nothing but pure ignorance of those unlike yourself. Any idiot that lets their kid sleep with a bat and then is surprised to be awakened by the smashing into one’s face is a moron. If you let her sleep with a beebee gun, do you supposed a trip to the ER would’ve been warranted? I bet so. Down with Pinatas. Down with Idiot Parents and Racists, alike.
August 29th, 2008 at 8:27 am
OH MY GOD!! I can’t leave this site alone! I tried to leave, but I keep coming back to read what other people have to say… and then you say, you’re proud to be an American unlike Michelle Obama??!! You white honkey! Get a life and suck on a pinata! You’re a racist idiot, if you didn’t get it the first two times I typed it. LOSER LOSER L-O-S-E-R. And i’m not on your site because it’s the hottest blog in town, I’m bewildered by the fact that you find this to be a serious issue. Let me not move to Northern California, lest the air up there be for idiots of the world. PINATA LOVERS REJOICE! Let your sticks be heard! Be sure to WHAP YOUR PARENTS WHILE THEY’RE SLEEPING! Shout out to Michael Vick!
August 31st, 2008 at 11:00 am
Ron,
youre something else. in the beginning you stated that your daughter “insisted” on sleeping with the stick (bat). later you replied to a comment that the stick was somewhere else. which is it?
in all honesty this has nothing to do with guns, bats, anti-aircraft machine guns or any other implements of violence. it basically has something to do with bad decision making on your part. as a parent, its your responsibility to teach your son/daughter between right and wrong. no parent is perfect, but to blame an inanimate object for what your daughter did to you, thats totally out of line. Then you go on to try and lobby a petition to have pinatas banned completely. That beating you took not only scarred you but rattled your ability for rational thought. Furthermore, you really should have reprimanded your daughter for beating you with a pinata stick. You’re not going to “scar” her spirit if you let her know that what she did was wrong. What is wrong is that you decided not to say anything at all for what she did. You just let her go on with her life after what she did and now she’s in therapy???? She isn’t old enough to know that beating daddy with a stick is wrong, but she’s old enough to have to go through the pain of talking to a complete stranger about what she did. Seriously, what is wrong with you for putting your daughter through something like that at that age?
I’m not even going to get into the whole “Mexican” thing. Your ignorance is astounding. Get a book about what the British did to the Indians when they decided that their Empire needed to be expanded. Talk about a violent society. What about the most violent “Icon” of race there ever was, Hitler. Yeah, maybe we should posthumously award him the Nobel Peace Prize. And what about them wonderful group of guys know as the KKK. Talk about a bunch of swell fellows. Bull fighting is the least of our worries.
Again, lets not get started on violent societies. Your aim is horribly askew.
It’s a shame that when the founding fathers of this country wrote the constitution, they couldn’t foretell the level of ignorance and blatant stupidity that people like you display in the name of Freedom of Speech.
I agree with some of the other comments that state that you can use your time for better agendas than trying to ban Pinatas.
A-Salaam Alaikum!!!
September 6th, 2008 at 9:57 am
haha confused good one, hey fuck you your story is bull shit and your kid and your family needs help banning pinatas does nothing asshole what are we gonna ban anything you can get an injury from if you think about it thats pretty much everything that exsists you could hurt yourself with
September 9th, 2008 at 6:41 am
Dear Ron:
I think I’m having a change of heart. Over the weekend I was watching America’s Funniest Home Videos and witnessed a grandfather get crunched in the nuts by a four year old weilding a pinata stick. It was hilarious! Especially when they played it in slow motion. I instantly thought of you! How’s that kid of yours? Is she up to serial killer yet? Hope the therapy is helping!
haha.
Kind regards,
Amanda
September 16th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Amanda,
The therapy is helping. It is largely to help her get past her feelings of guilt and her nightmares. Although I suspect your question was insincere.
I am disappointed to hear that you think a poor elderly man getting hit in the testicles is amusing.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I make piñatas for people and think they are great. There is something viscerally affecting and kind of zen about seeing something I spent so much time on being destroyed. It helps if people have just eaten a lot of sugar before attacking with the whiffle bat, as well. I am not averse to the non-violent pinata, however. I was asked to make one for my boyfriend’s nieces and nephews last year and devised what I thought was a good secret rope/trap door system. The first niece (who is two) ran up to the pinata on her turn and grabbed the entire swath of ropes and yanked so that there was a small hole with very enticing toys bulging out but nothing fell to the ground. Someone yelled – “get a bat!!!” and all heck broke loose. The pinata was destroyed in typical bat-wielding fashion and no one was hurt.
Sarah
October 7th, 2008 at 10:08 am
HAhAHAHAHAHAHa…this is hilarious!!! I am totally starting a website just like Ron’s but its those FOR pinatas…WOOT WOOT!
And why the hell would you bring politics into this. Michelle Obama, please! That woman has more balls than you ever will. Wait do you even have any balls? Boo Hoo a four year old beat you up? Haha, maybe she had a reason to beat you. Her daddy is a cry baby. Points for her!
Wow, you should have submitted a video of that to America’s Funniest Home Videos. That would have surely gotten you a million dollars. Then you wouldn’t be here complaining!
Question: Are you and your wife still married!? Hahaha
Wimp!
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:33 am
“Yes, they are largely a violent society, with the pinatas, the bull fights, the criminals coming across our borders and what not. But for the most part they seem to be hard workers – they mow our yards, clean our houses and pick up our trash. I applaud them for trying to make a better life for themselves. But I deplore the importation of their violent “sports” like pinata bashing parties.”
I find your statement unbelievably offensive and ignorant. Mexicans are no more violent than other societies in the world. And Mexicans don’t just ‘mow our yards, clean our houses and pick up our trash’… Mexicans are a vital engine of the American way of life. America is a melting pot, and if you want to get technical about it, the true “Americans” are the American Indians, a society now almost extinct because of the violence inflicted upon them by the white people… Talk about violence!
Don’t penalize Mexican traditions over your failure as a parent. A good, informed parent should fully understand the implications of new game or party activity (such as a ‘pinata’) prior to adopting it. A good parent would not allow the child to sleep with a bat. A 4 year old child should know that no living being should ever be beat up, and that includes Mom and Dad…
By the way; bull fighting is a Spanish sport, not Mexican. And in Mexico, there are no such things as “Pinata Bashing Parties”, the pinata is merely an element to the party, not the main attraction. Next time, do some research before you write. You will seem less ignorant.
November 16th, 2008 at 12:06 am
I think this a problem that can be avoided very simply by making sure you tell your kids not to use the stick or bat used in Pinata bashing to hit anyone with.
We’ve had pinatas with our under 6′s and part of the game was making sure we told everyone to stand back, not to EVER swing near or at somebody, and that the bat must be put away safely and not run around with afterwards.
Actually, it’s a great learning opportunity to bring up lots of safety rules in practise. As you point out many kids don’t understand the repercussions of violence (but they LOVE to hit stuff) and they are bound to come across examples of ‘hitting’ on TV, in sports, in lots of innocuous party games.
But I do agree that pinatas are inherently risky, so all precautions should be taken when playing.
In reference to the pinata ‘drug’ parties, well, there is a time and a place for everything and that is university. The issue there is the drug parties, not really the pinata. While using a pinata for such things does make it seem more indulgent, I’m sure there are one hundred times as many similar drug and sex parties where they just grab a handful from a communal bowl or something. Taking away pinatas won’t stop college drugs and sex.
My 1 year old broke my nose with a head-butt to the face years ago. But I wouldn’t recommend other parents don’t hug their kids, rather I’d advise to watch your facial area around them.
This reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer gets a mallet to the head from Maggie who had seen it on Itchy and Scratchy. The moral was “one nutcase can make a difference, but most of the time, they probably shouldn’t”.
November 20th, 2008 at 9:39 am
You are an idiot ! Who the hell lets a 4 year old go to sleep with a baseball bat !? You basically told your 4 year old to come put it to your face in the morning and scarring her and yourself for life. On top of it you are too much of an ignorant bitch to take responsibility for your own actions i.e. letting your daughter, whom you stated was tantrum prone, go to sleep with a baseball bat. You’re basically blaming the consequences of your own shitty parenting on a pinata !
Next thing you know, she’ll be off to college doing drugs and getting hammered like most other college students across the country. Sad part is, you won’t be telling yourself “Where did I go wrong?” but instead you’ll be saying “if only pinatas did not exist!”
WAKE UP!! Stop wasting time on this stupid site and go raise your child.
November 20th, 2008 at 10:04 am
WOW, my last post was before I even got to read you racist remarks. You piece of shit! I am from Mexico and I’ve beat more pinatas than you’ve given your daughter valuable life lessons. I have never been involved in a physical altercation or have I ever put a stick to ANYONE. You want violence?!? Have yourself some Sunday football. Afterwards do some research about football related injuries, to young children in particular. How about a nation at war for as long as its been a nation? Or how about psychopathic children shooting up their classmates? Can’t remember the last time that happened in Mexico, and I’m pretty sure none of these shootings involved any Latin children. And parents like yourself blame everything but themselves. Grow some balls, tell you poor child that it was your fault for not educating her and for provoking her by letting her sleep with a baseball bat, and have yourself a hearty laugh. You’ll be surprised what closure will do even for a young child. It’ll save you a lot on counseling. Lastly, go fuck yourself you racist bastard.
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:51 am
If you hate Mexicans so wuch, why did you allow your daughter to have a pinata party in the first place?? If you don’t like Mexican culture, DON’T PRACTICE what the fuck they do, you dumbass. Next time maybe she’ll knock some sense into you.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Okay — first of all, you ARE a racist, with the way you talk about “them,” and “largely” violent culture. Perhaps you should read a bit about racism and all the forms it manifests in.
Secondly, violence is a part of every humans psyche. A child needs to be taught what pain is, what violence is, and how to avoid it… not sheltered from it. By the age of four, your young one should have already learned lessons like “fire burns” and “baseball bats hurt daddy.”
… However, I’m not certain that giving your daughter a baseball bat at her birthday party was wise of you at all… I think that’s a more suitable game for an older child with better coordination and a firmer understanding of the meaning of the activity.
Next — you talk about how you’ve not tried to make your daughter feel bad, yet you have this ridiculous website up outlining what happened for the world to see? You’re the one giving the child a complex.. and I suggest YOU go see a therapist to work past your trauma, since it’s quite obvious you have some serious PTSD resulting from this injury.
December 19th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I thought this was a fucking joke and now I see that is a big joke.
Thanks for the laugh
December 29th, 2008 at 7:39 am
You sent a four year old to bed with a wooden bat? Man, if you’re going to be dumb you gotta be tough.
Idiot.
December 29th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
It sounds like you have a bit of time and perhaps money and power to spend on building websites and lobbying for law changes – how about spending some time on important things like, hunger, homelessness, national education, national healthcare, anti-war, DARFUR … some things a bit more important than being a killjoy for children’s party games.
This is about the most entertaining “real” website I have read in a while. In fact, I really think this is a joke website even though Truth is stranger than fiction. I thought I was reading an “Onion” article, seriously. I say it is about time that this country get on with National Health Care, so all these idiots who are hurt accidentally, don’t waste tax dollars on litigation and law petitioning, etc. just because “s…t” happens.
The two most disturbing things about this story is 1) What sort of anger issues did your child have against you that she hit you SO hard with a bat, not once but several times to cause such injury. Didn’t you say – Ow? It is strange that you and your wife didn’t grab the bat after the first hit. Was your wife enjoying the show?
2) You are so clueless you don’t even “know” that you are racist.
3) You claim that Mexico is a more violent society than the U.S. … Sorry, there are far more REAL statitistics showing how high the crime rate is in the U.S. in comparison to practically every other country in the world.
If anybody knows of a website that references – THE TOP MOST RIDICULOUS WEBSITES EVER – this one needs to be submitted
February 6th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Ron, I am sorry to see so many people who just don’t understand. I can only hope there is a silent majority who sees that pinyatas (I don’t know how to put that Mexican squiggle thing over my n – my first language is English, thanks!) lead to beatings. “Sure – it’s fun! Now…what else could I hit,” a child thinks!
BTW, I have a line on one of those college pinata sex-toy parties. It was terrifying to see these young, cute girls in really tight tops talking about it like it was supposed to be good clean fun! I’m going as a sort of “undercover man” – I’ll bring my camera phone and try to show the world this sordid pastime! Wish me luck!
April 9th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Please someone tell me this is a joke. If not, here are additional things you may want to consider banning in case your stupid kid continues to take after its dumb parents:
-All forms of fire (campfire, fireplaces, lighters, spicy food)
-Your car because you may drive it too fast and the car could crash
-Food because it could choke you
-Houses because a tree could fall on it in a windstorm and you could be inside
-The ocean because someone could drown
-Bathtubs because someone could also drown there
-Turtleneck sweaters because they could shrink in the dryer and smother someone when trying to pull it over your head
UNBELIEVABLE….but thank you for entertaining me for a few minutes while at work.
April 17th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
People are F#$%’n retarded!!! The parents were stupid enough to let the child sleep w/the bat! F#$k, seriously there is stupid people out. Why not let them sleep with a freak’n gun too.
This is just a retarded website that somebody w/o a life made.
GET A FUCK’N LIFE!!!
May 6th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Your story is awful, but I have to agree with anyone who has refered to you as racist. Picking up trash and gardening? I am Hipanic. I live in Texas and a WHITE MAN cuts my grass, and oddly enough drives the dirty garbage truck that collects from my neighborhood. My parents run a very successful buisness and have several WHITE emloyees…as does my Mother-in-law(also hispanic). So you got your ass kicked by your 4 year old SUPER BABY…What does that have to do with Mexicans? There are many other violent sports. You should try to ban Baseball too, The AMERICAN sport. She did hit you with a bat, afterall, not the actual PINATA!!!
May 20th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Maybe gringos are too stupid to operate a pinata. Maybe we should ban the selling of pinatas to white people because American society is too stupid and lazy to mow their own grass and they are all obese pigs anyway. You will probably die of a heart attack at 41 and leave your child orphaned from your greasy cheeseburgers from your inhumane and scrappie infested slaughterhouses which is a far more pressing issue than a cardboard situational toy. ps. I’m in nursing school I don’t mow your grass or polish your silver suh.
May 25th, 2009 at 11:32 am
If anyone is to blame, it’s your daughter. She should have hit you alot harder. You’re a racist and I do not love racists.
June 8th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Can I have a picture of your face? I want to start a company called Racist Pinatas and have the first one look like you…then give them away for free to anyone that wants one. I must say, I have 3 internet businesses and thought I had heard just about everything I possibly could on here….but, you really do top the list. You have to be the biggest dummass I have ever heard of…by your own statements. We should get a ban making it illegal for you to come out of the house into society as we should not have to put up with people like you in our daily lives. There should be a camp for people as stupid as you. I agree, get a life. Can I send your daughter a better weapon so she can finish the job? As far as I can tell from everything you’ve said, at 4 years old, she knew exactly what she was doing, as to live around you for the rest of her life (due to your absolute stupidity) is child abuse. I hope the state takes her away from you, she shouldn’t be growing up around you, you are a moron. Get well soon! Then move into a cave by yourself and save the rest of the world from you. I cannot believe you feel this way. Out of all the thousand of totally imature adults I’ve ran across on the internet, you’re tops! But seriously, can I have your picture? For the Pinata?
June 16th, 2009 at 11:42 am
i wonder how many african-mexicans mistakenly ended up at this site after trying to express that they were, infact, down with pinatas. way to go.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
I don’t even know where to start. First off, growing up I went to many Pinata Parties and none of us ever beat the shit out of our parents. Second, why would you let your 4 year old sleep with a bat? Last time I checked, that’s what stuffed animals were for. Third, your not racist? Com’on.
I think that first thing tomorrow I’m going to go and purchase a Pinata for my little cousin. Why, you ask? Because she has enough common sense to know the difference between a Pinata and a human being.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
I’ve always felt that violence in a child, especially one who is as young as the one in the story, is completely natural. They are still trying to find out how the world works, typically through physical interaction. Their curiosity can often turn dangerous…but only if they are given the means. Such is the case as leaving a bat in a child’s possession after they had been shown it is fun to hit things with it.
The problem does not lie with the pinata. It lies with the parent for not teaching their child the safety involved in such things. Trying to blame the incident on the pinata party is just as bad as a parent blaming their child for acting out scenes in violent movies or video games. If they can’t tell the difference between fantasy/fun and normal life, then they are either too young to experience such things, or they have been improperly taught by their parents.
Pinatas have existed for a very long time, and anything that has existed for so long does so because it is not a true threat to the world. As a matter of fact, the real pinatas are symbolic of good. The typical pinata has 7 points to represent the 7 deadly sins, and the bat represents love. Therefore you are using love to defeat the 7 sins.
Also, as for your reaction to the incident. If you are a good parent then you know to never show negative emotions around a child if you don’t want them to get upset. You simply tell her that everything is alright, have here leave the room to go do something, and then discuss the problem. Plus, if a 4 year old child needs counseling because they found out something they did was wrong…then I pity both you and your child for the weak mental state that she possesses. Children possess a durable mind and body so that they can learn through doing, which is what she did.
If a child draws on the walls and the parents yell at them, they shouldn’t need counseling. Neither should they need it if they get in trouble for breaking a vase or dishes. If a 4 year old accidentally breaks the arm of their 3 year old sibling, they may become shy for a while, but if you treat them correctly it shouldn’t be a permanent issue.
So in conclusion, the whole of the blame lies with you, and not the pinatas themselves.
I would love to see you read through my whole post and try to debate this with me because I have covered nearly every angle within and do so enjoy a rousing game of “Story Teller Changes Details to Make Them Sound Better”.
June 28th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
To the readers an commentators on this site– I suggest you read carefully and between the lines.
Ron,– I hope your skills as a writer are not limited to this site! Are you working on anything not related to pinatas?
June 30th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
i remember having a piñata party when i was in the fourth grade, with a bunch of little girls with LOADS of “innocence”. i am honestly sure that none of them went home that day with violent thoughts about our piñata. i support your opinion in that when children are TOO YOUNG to be hitting things with bats, maybe they shouldn’t. all i would like to ask is… hasnt americas funniest home videos taught you enough? when a young child has a bat, either her dad is going to get hit in the nuts with a ball, or the bat. i understand that this experience was very painful to you and your family and i am sorry. i just beleive that just because this happened to YOU, doesnt mean its going to happen to EVERYONE who gets a piñata. Thank you.
July 5th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
You know, I don’t normally partake of “leetspeak” in deference to the usage of proper conventions, but here goes. Ahem… LOL!!!!!!! For real, dude?! Seriously?!?! I truly feel terrible for your daughter. She is in therapy because of YOU, chief. Because you have made such a huge deal of this she is terrified. For your child to witness you falling completely apart, and taking up some asinine vehement rage against pinatas (PINATAS for God’s sake!!!) is far more disturbing for her, than if you were to sit her down and explain to her why she shouldn’t do that; why she shouldn’t hit someone IN THE FACE with a baseball bat! The pinata didn’t break your face wide open, brother, your daughter did, which was a direct result of your shitty parenting. I pray your daughter is able to come past this and live a wonderful, well-adjusted life. But if she does, it’s probably not going to be because of your idiotic self. People like you should be screened for insanity before being allowed to reproduce. That poor child.
July 5th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
You know what. Everything I just said, I take it back. There is no POSSIBLE way this is for real. I won’t believe it until I see xrays of your broken face. If it is true and sincere, then what I said before remains, but if it is not, then I have to give you some serious congratulations. This is one of the finest satirical websites I have ever seen. I have a keen eye for sarcasm, but you got me with this one. Kudos.
July 5th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Ron, I want you to know that I completely and truly share your pain. As a child, I was subjected the cruel injustice of a pinata party. Upon realization of how much fun it was, I proceeded to beat both my parents to death with the broom handle used to hit the pinata. For years I lived in anguish, vying that one day I would rise from my guilt-ridden exile and atone for the atrocities of my child-hood. Well, Ron, that day has come. No longer am I David, the boy with the slightly crooked left eye. I am now Pinatavenger! The caped distributor of pinata-violence-related-justice with the slightly crooked left eye! Rest easy at night, Ron, knowing that I fight for your safety and that of your daughter’s. Pinatas will fear the moment they were crudely pasted together in a slight resemblance of Dora The Explorer! I am your shield, your sword, and your shelter. I will fight for you, for as long as I shall live!! Away, Pinatavenger!!!!
August 2nd, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Have you people not heard of string pinatas? I havent seen a stick pinata since the 80′s. Geez!
August 12th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
HAHA! What a DOUCHE!!
August 24th, 2009 at 10:12 am
wow…whoa…holy smokes!!! tragic incident…but man I hop your daughter is able to live out the rest of her life without the stigma of “pinata stick attacker.” Bringing so much attention to this gives her an identity that is probably the opposite of what you’re intending.
It was an accident, it sucks, she made a mistake, you made a mistake keeping a bat in her reach…etc. You have to MOVE ON from it or you’ll be giving her an identity that she does not deserve.
Does she still hit? Has her behavior remained violent, or was this one incident? If this was one isolated incident…forgive your daughter, delete this site and give her some attention for the things she does RIGHT and the GOOD choices she makes. Otherwise I fear your poor kid will need major therapy for a very, very, very long time!!
September 16th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
you a fucking dumb ass so is your daghter lmao she must be a fucking moron to beat you with a bat.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Im guessing your daughter is a huge moron and im a regular person and not a doctor and I will tell you something I BELIVE THE BEST CURE FOR YOU IS TO STOP BEING A MORON
September 16th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Holy Crap! This is the funniest thing I have read all week!! I can’t imagine someone being so big an idiot that they actually blame an inanimate object for their child’s behavior rather than admit their own lack of parenting. You sir, are an artist when it comes to writing such fiction.
Thank you for putting up a website that provides such a succinct commentary on the lack of responsiblity present-day parents take for their children’s behavior. As anyone with common sense knows, the perfect remedy for your daughter’s behavior was simply a punishment followed by an explanation that it’s okay to hit the pinata with the bat but it’s not okay to hit people with the bat (unless you are mortally threatened by a person).
I hope you will fabricate more stories like this one, so that people can see what morons some parents can be.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I would like to add, along with Post Blog Laughter, if this incident did indeed happen, you should post any x-rays, pics, and so forth that will prove your story. As they say in the interweb forums:
pix or it didn’t happen.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
PICS OR IT DIDN”T HAPPEN!!!
September 16th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
pics or it didn’t happen!!!1
September 16th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
pics or it didn’t happen!!
September 16th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I too know that pinata violence is all too real. When I was 9, I attended a birthday party for my cousin, Jorge, and they had a pinata shaped like Gumby hanging from a tree in the backyard. One of the kids was blindfolded and swinging the bat at the pinata, and it slipped from his hand. The bat flew upwards, and crashed through a window in the side of the house that was about 20 feet away. A 5 year old cousin of mine was standing just below the window, and when the glass shattered, a big chunk of it came straight down at him. He was too little to move out of the way in time, and the sheet of glass caught him right through the back of his neck, like a guillotine. It didn’t completely decapitate him, but it severed his spinal cord and arteries. He died very quickly, and it left a big pool of blood right there on the patio. Everyone was screaming, and many of us still have PTSD to this day. I cringe every time I see a pinata, or even a baseball bat. In fact, I nearly pass out if I even see a baseball game on TV. My dead cousin’s mother was so depressed afterward that she became an alcoholic, and eventually died years later of liver failure. That pinata party ended up being the worst day of my life. It was either that or the day that I caught my ex-husband humping a goat at his parent’s ranch. That day sucked too.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
pics or it didn’t happen
September 16th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
pics or it didn’t happen
September 16th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
hi im really not a piñata hater but when i was a kid my mom used a ballon as a piñata and the we just use a fork to pop the baloon
September 16th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I was planning on having a pinata party for my daughter this year – after seeing this, definitely not. Thank you for pointing out the hidden terrors of pinatas. From the looks of these comments, you have probably saved my family, friends, and I years of psychological or physical damage.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
This is a link to a photo of the aftermath of the story I just posted above. I swear that every word of it was true. Just copy and paste this address into your browser, and you will see for yourself.
http://image46.webshots.com/47/9/69/9/314596909VUDCfY_ph.jpg
September 16th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
pics or it didn’t happen!
September 16th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Janet, your link doesn’t work. Dude that runs this site:
PICS OR IT DIDN”T HAPPEN!!!
September 16th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Sorry, hopefully this link will work:
http://blog.goatboy.com.au/wp-content/goat-sex1.jpg
September 16th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Dude,
I really think you need to stop whining about an accident.
The problem lies in your daughter, and how you taught her to react to violence. (no offence, but seriously) You should have tought her that you don’t hit people, period. only after that, can you give her a bat, and expect her to do the right thing.
I do commend you for trying to make things safer. but i think your going about it the wrong way. Instead of protesting pinatas and their bats, which are just as safe as knives when used correctly, be proactive in the proper education of children. For example, if you spank a child for wrong doing, you are giving the child the idea that every time someone does something wrong, the proper solution is violence. I think that this example is the reason for MOST of the violence out there.
Going back to knives, when i was 4 years old, my mother was teaching me how to safely use a knife. Have I cut myself with a knife since then? OF COURSE I HAVE. Have I ever had the urge to stab or malicioucly cut other people? ummm… no. accidents happen, man, they always will, it’s a fact of life. Just get over it?
You claim your child is now traumatized by the pinata? get real! she’s traumatized because you think she has a violent soul, and have ominously deemed the scar on your face a permanent wrong doing by her hand. you should have just let it go, laughed it off, and moved on.
This argument is like the lady who sued mcdonalds, because SHE spilled her coffee in her lap. we get it, your injured and pissed about it. But even you have to admit, that Mcdonalds thing was pretty stupid.
Furthermore, I’m not even Hispanic, and i was offended by your closed mindedness towards the hispanic culture. you may not be racist, but you are an extreme bigot. how do you justify that hispanic culture is more violent? have you ever been to a hispanic country? how is bullfighting any differrent then bow-hunting deer? when you fish, you are suffocating a live animal? just look at any american movie or tv show, and you will find that americans are just as, if not more violent. did you know that america has more violent, gun related deaths and violent crimes than any other country?
Anyways, don’t take away from other people’s fun, just because you cant teach your child how to interact with people or recognize that an injury is not the act of violence corruption, it’s an accident. Please, just act like a realistic human being. and be a better parent. It’s people like you that ruin fun and SAFE activities for the rest of us by proclaiming them dangerous.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I knew you were a fag when you wrote this…..
“We try not to expose our daughter to too many commercial tie ins, so I went with a nice looking traditional donkey in red, blue green and yellow.”
I truly hope your daughter did beat the shit out of you but….
Pics or it didn’t happen!
September 16th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
By making this website, your child will think that this is all her fault and that this is the worst thing that has ever happened to you and ever will.
My point is, you need to let it go and show your daughter care no matter what she did, and stop ranting about how pinata’s gave your daughter problems, when really it’s been you all along.
Don’t arm a child with a weapon if they know how to use it but don’t know where to use it.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
thank you Ron for bring these serious subject, the darker side of pinata parties, to light. I have a story. As young boy my parents surprised me with a Pinata party for my 4th birthday. the standard colorful donkey shape pinata hypnotized and delighted me, when i was distracted that Donkey Pinata killed my parents and raped me. it was 11 years before i could even talk about it. to this day i can’t get a boner without paper-mache farm animals in the vicinity.
thank you Ron
(loser)
September 16th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
just because your one pinata situation ended badly, mainly because you somehow neglected to teach your daughter right from wrong, doesn’t mean that pinatas are dangerous.
I hope your daughter goes on to realize that there is a difference between a paper mache donkey and her dad’s own face. This act of violence was one in a million and was not learned through hitting pinatas but was your daughter’s excuse for her actual desire to beat your face.
btw how was your daughter able to carry , lift, and swing a bat with enough force to do that much damage? why did she have access to what you seem to think is a heavy dangerous weapon? just sayin’
Also, i do think you are a racist, not because you think pinatas are evil but because of how you generalize Mexicans as people who “are largely a violent society, with the pinatas, the bull fights, the criminals coming across our borders and what not. But for the most part they seem to be hard workers – they mow our yards, clean our houses and pick up our trash.”
Stop being a drama queen this mishap was your fault, not the pinatas.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Hahaha this site is hilarious, the internet need more satire out there! Keep up the great work and keep on your toes… The bats hide in the shadows
September 16th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
If anyone needs anymore proof that this site is just a big joke, I employ you to do a little research into Dave Barry, whom the author hold in such high regard. You will soon find that hie in on the joke as well.
September 17th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Why do you people believe that anything + kids is a danger to humanity? Video games, music, television, pinatas? If you think that these tiny things are such terrible things, then you can go ahead and isolate YOUR children from them – but dont try to ruin life for the rest of us, thanks. Most children know from an early age what is real and what’s not – its your fault for what happened to you.
I’ll give you one thing though – that was a good read.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:59 am
I knew it! I knew it was the pinatas! EVEN WHEN IT WAS THE MASON CONSPIRACY I KNEW IT WAS THE PINATAS!!!
There’s a smug little pink donkey pinata looking at me now. The bastard.
September 17th, 2009 at 4:02 am
Please tell me that all you commenters realize this is a joke. Props to Ron of Down With Pinatas for keeping this up so well, but come on people, a joke is a joke. Doesn’t it seem odd that he had all these visible facial injuries and not a single picture is up? Stop getting sucked into and ranting at a joke website.
September 17th, 2009 at 10:00 am
This is ridiculous.
Why are you listening to this idiot?
Before the pinata incident, he though SPONGEBOB was going to corrupt his daughter. Maybe if she wasn’t so fucking sheletered, an activity like hitting a papier mache donkey with a bat wouldn’t have had such a mark on her.
And uh, I did some research, NO ONE has reported or done a study on “pinata related violence”. Because it’s ridiculous. And a waste of time. And I don’t believe that this story is even true, you attention whore.
Why should we ban pinatas? It is the PARENT’S responsibility to decide what their child may be influenced by. SO if this did happen, it’s no ones fault but yours.
“Over 75% of violent offenders in the California prison system have actively participated in the bashing of a pinata.” Yeah? Well I bet most of them have driven a car, or watched TV, or had milk to drink to. In fact, I will go so far as to estimate that as many as 97% of the violent criminals in America have, at some point in their lives, had milk to drink. So…milk must make people violent too then. Let’s ban milk! And you know what, my violent stepmother was unusually fond of matzo ball soup…so matzo ball soup must lead people to engage in violence against children and animals. FUCK YOUR LOGIC.
You’re a fucking idiot.
September 17th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I hope your daughter doesnt grow up to be a racist like you. Also you shouldnt shelter her so much it’s only going to hurt her in the long run.
Reading a book on parenting might also be a good idea.
September 17th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Congratulations on being featured in collegehumor.com’s “3 Websites Made by Crazy People.” Here’s a stat for you, 98% of the comments posted on your website can be summarized as saying, “This website is ridiculous. You are a horrible father. You are an ignorant racist.” Good luck with the lobbying and also the mental obliteration of your would-be sweet daughter.
September 17th, 2009 at 10:21 am
wow. I can’t even express in words. you’re trying to get pinata’s banned because you stupidly let your daughter sleep with a baseball bat? why not get bats banned instead, hm? they seem to be the bigger problem. pinata’s are harmless. they’re donkeys filled with candy for christ’s sake. how about we ben ignorant, racist, pinata-hating fathers?
September 17th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Ok, when i first heard of your site i was sure it had to be a joke, i’m still hoping it is. But assuming it’s not, which i’m inclined to believe after reading the comments i would like to comment.
I’m very sorry this happened to you, and i can understand your need to make public this incident and trying to make sure this doesn’t happen to someone else. However, i believe your efforts are completely misguided and verging on racist.
Your comment on the Mexican people may not be racist in intent however it does reveal great ignorance on Mexican culture, which i’d like to clarify. Let’s start with your “traditional” donkey piñata, dokeys are not the traditional piñata by any means. While piñatas today are mostly a game played in birthday parties and can therefore bee seen as sensless violece or a violent sport as you call it, however the original piñata had a more profound meaning.
The piñata was invented by spanish missionaries in an attempt to evangelize the native people of mexico, and it’s original form was a seven pointed star filled with fruit, each point represented one of the seven deadly sins and the whole point was to illustrate how by rejecting/breaking those sins the people could partake of the fruits of heaven.
Can piñatas be dangerous? Well, your hitting something with a stick (in many cases blinfolded) so accidents can happen, but they are completely avoidable by telling kids not to rush the piñata untill it’s broken and the bat or stick is out of the picture, also by maintaing a safe perimeter around the piñata while it’s being hit. As a mexican i’ve been involved in hundreds of piñata parties both as a kid participating and an adult supervising, and while i’ve seen some accidents happen it has never been anything worse than a minor bump or scrape.
Does it incite violence? I personally don’t think so, i’d be more worried about video games or movies, and even then i believe there are other factors that are more defining such as environment and education. In any case parents should allways make the distiction (specially with younger children) that hitting a piñata for fun is very different from hitting any other object, animal or person.
About your comments on mexican and latin american culture i can’t help by being somewhat offended, by your callousness and ignorance. Specially by your comment about crimminals crossing borders. It’s a fact that we are still a third world country, and sadly that translates into poverty and results amongst other things in crime, however most of the people who cross over to the United States, are hard working and honest people that are forced to do so in search for better paying jobs to support their families. Do mexican crimminals also cross the border? Yes, as do american crimminals fleeng from your athorities. So to generalize saying mexican inmigrants are crimminals is not only insulting to those workers that in your comments you admit to have or have had in your employment, but also unfair seeing as your country is not free of guilt in that respect.
Again i am very sorry for waht happened to you and your family, i hope your little girl does better at understanding that what happend was an unfortunate accident and in time feels better about herself. Hopefully you have learned something from this incident too, and hopefully in time you will stop condemmnig a culture and its practices for an accident that could have been avoided by talking to your child on the differences between games and real life.
September 17th, 2009 at 10:47 am
parents should just teach their kids the difference between whats right and wrong. same thing goes for the things they see on t.v. clowns scare some kids and give them nightmares are you not gonna have that either
September 17th, 2009 at 10:58 am
ok this is stupid…. pinatas are fun… just cause you got hit by a four year old doesnt mean we shoulld flip. i have used pinatas and seen ppl use pinatas… guess how many ppl were hurt… none…. because everyone on the world besides your dumbass daughter knew that pinatas are hit for candy …. not the fun of hitting. this is a womans story mostly because all women flip and feel sorrry for ppl like you…. just let it go…. you are twisting the view of the ppl…… pinatas dont cause violence…. pinatas cause happiness and mothers like you cause violence….. by the way read collegehumor they have an article about your site… (its bad)
September 17th, 2009 at 11:02 am
by the way im sure your used to all these comments about your website and yyou play them off and you know whats right not us,,… but there comes a point when you should get rid of this websiite for its absurdity.. its not so good tat we try to bring it down… its not in any way inspiring to anyone…. its just stupid… and get a life and make a website about something dangerous that should be stopped…. how about ppl who put up stupoid websites like yours
September 17th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
This is great. I pity the people who actually think you’re racist or serious.
September 17th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Solution: Don’t let your kid sleep with weapons.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
You know, I have got to say, your site is hilarious, this is the best laugh I’ve gotten in a while. Seriously man, props to you and your sense of humor, damn I wish more people were this funny…
September 17th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
i’m sorry for what happened, ron, but i have to agree that it was no fault of the pinata nor of the mexican culture.
that is not to say i accuse you of being a poor parent. i think that when a child makes a mistake, it’s typical for a protective parent to look elsewhere to put the blame.
in my humble opinion, your crusade against pinatas will simply go nowhere. and i’m sorry for that.
it’s clear to me that you feel strongly about this, and it is clear to me that your opinions and personality are strong, which are the only factors i can see aiding you. because pinata safety awareness is totally bizarre.
as a sufferer of PTSD, my heart is broken for your daughter. it is my deepest wish that you let her move on and forget about the incident before it becomes part of her.
never show her your website. never talk about it in front of her. never bring up anything about it.
then maybe she can let it go.
she’s so young, she may be able to forget about it.
September 17th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
you are one fucked up dude. oh no! pinatas are violent! they promote violence! OH MY GOD! ITS HORRIBLE! RUN FOR THE HILLS! get over yourself. stop being a drama queen. take your kid out of counseling, get her involved in clubs and sports, then put yourself in counseling you racist. you let a kid sleep with a baseball bat….your a dumbass. dont try and ruin the fun of parties for everyone else, and let your kid have fun with pinatas! otherwise you WILL scar her for life. if you hate pinatas so much keep it to yourself dont annoy us with your bullshit.
GO CANADA!!!!WOOT WOOT
September 17th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
i agree with tlm
September 17th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
You are a complete idiot, I bet that in your whole life you haven’t left your hometown more than one.
I agree you are not racist, you are just an idiotic douchebag, your kid din’t hit you because she liked her pinata party, maybe she just hit you because she was embarrassed of having a stupid guy as a dad
September 17th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Okay, I just read the article back on the Home section of your site…Pinata sex and drug parties? Seriously? That is almost as retarded as your other arguements, almost. Pinatas do not make college kids take drugs and have tons of sex, we like to do that anyway. If this incident actually happened it’s because you were too busy letting your TV teach your kid about what’s okay and not okay to do with a bat. And you obviously hate Mexicans, your attempted justifications for your mentality about the Mexican people just further reveals your racism. Had a lot of laughs reading the site, good luck getting no where with your “cause.” Idiot.
Hugs, kisses, and full body rub-downs,
Bob Larry
September 18th, 2009 at 12:50 am
ogm man u aer liek totallyu right man i remember i goted bashed cos i was tired when i was working and i slept in a pinata then next thing i died cos i got bashed lololol but thanx to da sergeerns i am all bettah lol DIE PINATAS DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and by tht i meen ban them maeking them die not bshign them cos i might b sleepin in it lolol
September 18th, 2009 at 12:55 am
wow i hope you’re joking
September 18th, 2009 at 12:56 am
lol = spam
lol = spam
lol = spam
lol = spam
lol = spam
September 18th, 2009 at 1:07 am
ROFLCOPTER LMAO. Lawl….!
September 18th, 2009 at 1:21 am
Yes yes, blame pinatas for a fucked up kid. From reading your site, your kid was screwed from the start, doomed to be weird and screwed up. You have lobbied to get pinatas banned? Why not ban bats because that’s the violent tool that caused you harm, and since it was a child that did the act of violence, bearing children should be banned as well. Your child is four years of age and is just learning, putting her in counseling was the dumbest thing you could have done. Your kid hit you with a bat, not her fault, not your fault, it’s the Mexicans fault. Take some responsibility, you just didn’t teach your kid about violence or whatever you would like to call it. Now she knows, but in an all too fucked way. She’s fucked, you’re fucked, and I bet you’re a Christian too.
September 18th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Why on earth did your four year old have access to a baseball bat in the first place? That’s nothing more than bad parenting. Your kid comes into your room, breaks your nose with a bat, and you have the ignorance to blame it on a pinata, the Mexicans, or indeed anything other than yourself. Your story is filled with innacuracy. The breaking of a pinata is not an act of violence, it originally was used as a means of bestowing good luck on people for the year. It has ALWAYS been intended as fun. And your comment that Mexicans are, on a whole, a vioent race? That is simply outrageous. Any other country in the world could be said to be violent based on your points.
This website is ridiculous, as is your intended ban. I hope that one day you let it go, and get on with living your life instead of holding a grudge against a party piece.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
A pinata ate my unborn baby.
September 19th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Congratulations!!!!!! Your insane blog is recognized as insane many more people now.
http://www.collegehumor.com/article:1791558
September 19th, 2009 at 11:48 am
I am extremely moved after reading this. I have had something similar happen to me. Gay piñatas forcibly aborted my unborn son then mercilessly beat my wife. This is the type of violence we are expected to tolerate and raise our children around. (sadly I have none thanks to piñatas ). Thank you for taking up a long overdue cause. I have no doubt in my mind that all piñatas should be liquidated immediately.
September 19th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
your a dumbass
September 19th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I too have had a very unfortunate and scarring experience with pinatas. It was my sons birthday and he had just turned 5 years old so we decided to get him a pinata for his party. the party went swell with no injuries or accidents and all of the children had a great time. i went to sleep that night with the thought that i had made my son very happy on his 5th birthday, but woke up to site of a pinata in my bed raping me. as soon as i woke up i could not do anything because the pinata was from mexico and also was a gardener and very violent. i sat in my bed praying that my son would come and smash the pinata because he had learned how to be a violent killer from the pinata party. i look back on that day now and wish that your message had spread and that pinatas had been banned. i call for a full investigation of violent mexican gardener rapist pinatas and that all pinatas should be executed so they will not harm any one any more. i will try to spread the message to ban pinatas and i may even start my own blog/website.
September 19th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I don’t know weither to laugh at the moronic white person who blames his bad parenting skills and screwed up child,(c’mon? how does your 4-year old child not know the diffrence between you and a donkey? Oh, wait I get it. You are both jack-asses) on colorful paper-mache, or beat you senseless, finishing the job that your own daughter started. Buddy, insulting my people is traveling down a road, which is likely to get you in more trouble than it is worth. Blaming another source for one’s problems is the reason their are strippers in the world. this being said, i could reasonably start a blog to ban air, because exactly 100 percent of all crimnals have breathed air prior to said crime. Maybe your daughter should have smacked you with some rather than that bat. To all non-crazy people, pinatas for everyone and some tequila for the ninos!
September 20th, 2009 at 1:42 am
This really is hilarious. Adopt a ludicrous perspective on something inane, make a half-way decent site about it, and let the comments roll. Keeping up the dialogue by replying to the comments makes it even better, especially if they’re even more inflammatory than the original posts (see: “I’m proud to be an American, unlike Michelle Obama” above).
Of course, if this site is a joke, admitting it would ruin the whole thing. But on the off-chance that it isn’t, I sort of think your daughter did us all a disservice by not hitting you harder.
September 20th, 2009 at 1:45 am
…but I think the link to a Dave Barry article as a source of credible support pretty much cements the whole thing as a joke. So bravo.
September 20th, 2009 at 10:38 am
hahahahaha, does anyone realize that we are having a public debate over a pinata? The poor guy was just beaten up with a baseball bat, it was a funny mishap. Oh, and “Ron of Down With Pinatas”, don’t worry about these other people who have nothing better to do than freak out about nothing
September 20th, 2009 at 10:57 am
When they asked you why she need therapy, I’m sure responding with “she hit me with a bat” made you feel like a responsible parent.
September 20th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
On the off chance that this site isn’t a joke, your kids in therapy because she feels guilty about what she did?
Well this site must really be boosting her self esteem. Dumbass.
September 20th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Hi. Im sorry about what happened to you and mostly your daughter. But I think its a bit exagerated to dedicate an entire website to it.
It seams to me that your daughter was to young to have a piñata party in the first place. Or you should have educated her about “what not to do with a bat to another person”. It doesnt matter how sweet and lovely she is, you dont leave a child with a something like a bat. If you are so keen about talking negativelly about the violence loving country, USA, that you live in, why do you happily leave your daughter to sleep with a baseball bat? It seams abit contradictive to me…
And to then blame a party activity (yes, with some precations that come in the package) for your daughters mental health. It sounds to me that your making excuses for your own bad parenting. Im sorry, but there seams to be many who agrees on that point.
The best you can do is to let it go and somehow explain to your daughter that it wasnt her fault. She couldnt know, she was too little and you dont blame her for it. I hope she understands someday.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:23 am
Ha you should get your daughter into tee ball or somthing as quickly as possible.
September 21st, 2009 at 6:20 pm
It seems from your story that the problem isn’t stick or papier-mache models filled with candy, it’s 4-year olds with bats. I propose that the government place a 3-day waiting period on both pinatas, bats, and thick sticks so that people fully understand the deadly deadly danger. Also, maybe we should make it so you have to be a certain age or get some sort of license in order to handle any blunt, bat-like object?
Another thing: It’s a party activity. Under adult (ahem: “competent” adult) supervision, they’re a blast. You gonna try to ban petting zoos because your daughter tried to emulate a goat and bite you? Gonna ban trampolines because your son bounced his friend off of it? Gonna ban breaking glasses at Jewish weddings, because someone might cut themself?
Try teaching your daughter a little common sense.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:09 am
It’s kinda sad you are devoting your life to something as ridiculous and trivial as this.
Pinatas are evil … seriously?!?! They promote violence?? The big wuestion you leave unanswered and untouched in this debate is, where is the parental teaching and guidance? I went to many parties with pinatas as a child (and, on occassion, still do) and I can honestly say I have never … NEVER … thought of hitting someone with a bat for fun.
Have you ever considered that perhaps you perpetuating this incident as an awakening for this cause is continually traumatizing your child?? On one hand, you repeatedly tell her it wasn’t her fault and its was ok. But, through your actions, you show her that the incident forever changed not her life, but yours. You send her to counseling (as a counselor I cannot begin to type how frighteningly overbearing that idea is) and create this “mission” based on her accident. So, you show her everyday that YOU were traumatized by her, thus re-traumatizing her daily.
Finally, you quote these statistics without giving source material or any type of clarifying or justifying background to them?? Over 75% of violent inmates have actively used pinatas?? Ok, 100% of them have mothers, too. Should we ban moms; or having children? You give no evidence to 1) the study that produced this statistic; or 2) any correlation that the 2 are related other than you own “hunch.” Most of your statistics can again be addressed by the question, “Where the hell are the parents?” I’m sorry; but my parents would have KNOWN if i hit an animal after a pinata party and I would have so explaining to do. Of course, I wouldn’t have hit an animal after a pinata party because I was taught the difference between REAL and IMAGINARY. The true problem is that the modern parent has become lazy and overly clinical in how they raise their child.
Anyways, I am sure my rants will have no bearing on you since you have had this “awakening” so I will cease. I will say that I found this site through a link on a humor website pointing out how misguided and insane this (and, by association, you) site was and had to check it out. Regardless, I was VERY amused.
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:20 am
I cannot BELIEVE the way you animals have run away with my blog’s comments page, after Iworked to hard to bring my message of peace to the world wide webs. I’ve seen Arabs that were better behaved than you hooligans.
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:59 am
BTW, I’m thinking of my moving my blog to a larger service provider. If anyone has any suggestions, email me at RON@DOWNWITHPINATAS.COM
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Its amazing how you continually claim to not be racist, but then make a blanket racist statement like the one above about Arabs!
And seriously, is this site a joke or are you really insane?
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:28 pm
pics or it didn’t happen.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:11 am
This is completely retarted. sorry, just saying
September 25th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I understand that this has been a traumatic experience for you and your family. I understand that there have been other families that have also been harmed by it. But surely you can understand that such behavior is not the norm. I am all for education, but you portend that the point of pinatas is to perpetuate violence. Any research into the historicity of pinatas will reveal that this is not the case. Maybe 4 is too young. Children are just starting to learn the difference between real and make believe at that age. But to completely deny a tradition seems excessive.
Also, I will echo the sentiments of other people on this page. You claim that you are not racist, yet you make blanket statements that are exceedingly disparaging about other cultures. I don’t know what your definition of racism is, but most people would claim that statements like “I’ve seen Arabs that were better behaved than you hooligans” & “Yes, they [Mexicans] are largely a violent society,” among other short-sighted statements are RACIST. Perhaps such views are “a function of socio-economic conditions,” but this does not mean you should perpetuate them. The first step to overcoming such views is working to affect social change instead of accepting them.
I think you are well-intentioned, but perhaps somewhat misguided. Good luck with everything–I hope you and your family are able to move past this without being sucked into it.
September 26th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I could only read half the comments. People are really raw over this site.
I don’t think your racist. When does truth become racist? If i have an experience that makes it truth. Not racism.
Ron good for you, for standing up for yourself and your family. All anyone can do reading this is make assumptions. Ive agreed with most of the things you’ve said. Although the responses you’ve gotten are not even close to surprising me.
And your right, if somehow you save one person from being hurt, its all been worth it.
September 26th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Haha, this is HILARIOUS.. I must say, I really like the way you fail to reply as your arguments looses their strength and message… If this is a joke, HIGH-FIVE, if it isnt, god you suck.. Did you really think this through? I mean, PINATA’S? of all things? I heard videogames supposively makes you violent, but PINATAS? its a freaking toy.. For fuck sake.. How about just blaming Canada for the fucking corruption of your messed up child haha.. Keep it up
PS. You are racist, haha, good jokes… Back here in Denmark you would be considered a hero
September 27th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
At first, I didn’t think you were racist, but then you made the arab comment. You really are racist dude. It’s probably gonna come back to you too.
Also, I really hope that you realize that you are, in fact, a terrible parent. You can deny it all you want, but look at ALL of the other comments on here. It could be a subtle hint that YOU’RE A TERRIBLE FATHER! I really wish you would read my first comment, as well as some of the others. You’ve got some really big problems man.
September 28th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
This is hilarious, though some people obviously don’t get it. satire is apparently above most people’s intelligence level.
September 28th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I’m 85% sure this is a really elaborate joke. The other 15% is just to disturbing to consider.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Ok, seriously? I’m hoping that this is a joke site. I’m honestly going to treat this as if i were getting Punk’d. Ok, so your problem with pinatas are that they “promote violence”. Well there are plenty of more things that promotes things worse. Have you thought about clowns? They teach you that you’re supposed to laugh at someone because they’re different. I mean yes that is a stretch but so is your case. What about water guns? Shoot someone with the gun they like it. How about that? Honestly I’m not against pinatas,water guns, clowns or any other for of entertainment. And i’m not going to make a jab at your parenting. I’m sure you did everything in your power to raise the best child you could. But the fact of the matter is that if this site isn’t setup as a joke, it is one. I’m sorry you were injured, but you have to realize the fact that children become out of touch with reality. Its unfortunate your situation. But remember, just because you had a bad situation doesn’t mean you need to intrude on others fun.
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Meh, guns kill far more people in the usa, why don’t you make a blog about banning guns?
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:14 am
This is hilarious.
Y’all niggas posting in a troll site.
Also, the game.
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Could you please cite your sources for your statistics, as another poster above requested? I too am curious as to where you are getting your information. Did you make it up?
I have a 4 year old who has done a pinata at her birthday every year since she was 2, and we’ve never experienced a problem. She very much understands the difference between hitting a human or an animal and hitting a pinata. And, as several people pointed out to you, we don’t leave the bat lying around where she can get to it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Also, making subjective blanket statements such as you did about an entire country is racist, I’m afraid, no matter how you try to coat it. Then you flippantly toss off the ole qualifier “but” they work hard, mow our lawns, wash our dishes, etc., presumably to somehow prove that you aren’t racist. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or go vomit in disgust at your condescending attitude and compounded racist remark.
Sorry you got beat up by a preschooler, but I have to go with what nearly everyone else has had to say, that the blame lies completely on YOU as the parent, not an inanimate object. Why should kids with responsible, conscientious parents be denied the fun of hitting a pinata and something that is a part of their culture if they are Hispanic, just because YOU are too irresponsible to teach your child not to hit people with a bat, and the difference between a pinata and a person?
October 4th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Trollm8.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
OMFG you actually have to be joking.
You got hit, TOUGHEN THE FUCK UP. SHIT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
CARS CAUSE MILLIONS OF DEATHS ANNUALLY BUT THEY ARE STILL EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK.
I PERSONALLY THINK YOU NEED TO GO JUMP OFF A BUILDING AFTER BUYING YOUR DAUGHTER ANOTHER PINATA.
DUDE STOP BEING SUCH A PUSSY.
GROW A SPINE.
AT LEAST SHE DIDN’T COME INTO YOUR ROOM AFTER WATCHING ITCHY AND SCRATCHY ON THE SIMPSON’S AND WRITE HER NAME ON YOUR BODY WITH LEAD STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BARREL OF AN M4. OR BLATANTLY POP OUT AN RPG AND PAINT THE WALL WITH YOU AND YOUR MRS. BRAINS.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Hahaha this website is very fake but endlessly entertaining! Very emails from an asshole-esque.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
“Over 75% of violent offenders in the California prison system have actively participated in the bashing of a pinata.”
I had a vision of a prison yard with a bunch of sticks and shivs having a pinata party for the 25% who were deprived the joy when they were little.
WhereTF were the other 25% during their childhood? Obviously their grass mowing parents who swam across the rio had then peddling chicle on the street corner.
I love this site, it’s the reason Al Gore invented the interwebz.
Do you have more causes that you write about I need more.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I can’t think of anything funnier than this to lobby against, you win.
+4 internets
October 12th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
“Since 1992 the Humane Society and the Department of Fish and Game have documented 480,000 incidents of pinata related violence against animals.”
Little Timmy after beating the shlt out of the dog. “HEY THAT’S NOT CANDY!!!”
LOLZ
October 12th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
“When my daughter saw it, she turned pale and threw up her hotdog and beans.”
COMEDY GOLD COMEDY GOLD
“HEY THAT’S NOT CANDY!!!”
October 15th, 2009 at 6:53 am
You say you’re not racist but you follow up by stereotypical jobs and actions of people from mexico.
Maybe if you were not such a horrible parent and had taught your daughter not to hit people there would never have been this problem in the first place.
I think that you should instead try to make it illegal for irresponsible people to have children, there should be some sort of competence test that must be passed before someone is allowed to not be using some sort of birth control.
I hope that you have only this one child. You should be sterelized to prevent the spread of idiocracy in the United States of America.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You should drop this stupid cause and pick up in the fight against GINGERVITAS. It is a condition that causes people to have red hair and freckels. It is one of the worst possible diseases that can be contracted by the human race…
October 15th, 2009 at 7:35 am
I think the real issue here is not about piñatas, racism or whatever these fat, retards are commenting about above. The real villain is the donkey. Yes, the donkey. Donkey related violence. Can’t you see that’s it’s not the game it’s the animal. When kids do bad things to donkeys they desire to do it again but to a human! When I was a kid I learned to play Piñ Some Crap Oñ A Doñkey and loved it. It was exhilarating to walk around with a blind fold on and stick a sharp object into the butt of an ass. My Mom wasn’t aware of my activity and was the victim of donkey incited violence.
I will join your cause to end the spread of piñatas only to further my cause to abolish ALL donkey themed games.
October 17th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
You obviously have NO idea how stupid you sound. NO idea, do you? This is a joke, right? This has to be a joke because if you think pinyatas should be banned because of a misunderstanding with YOUR child you have to be the dumbest fucking pussy on the planet.
It was YOUR responsibility to explain to your child that you are not filled with candy.
YOU DUMB MOTHERFUCKER
October 31st, 2009 at 1:18 pm
This is hilarious! Don’t people get satire??
December 9th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Okay people. I’ve had enough of this anti-pinata crap! I’ve got nine kids and each one of them has had a pinata party from 3-13. That’s over 100 pinata parties and everyone is still doing fine. Sure, there were some mishaps here and there. Joshua broke a thumb and Zebedia had to have his nose fixed, but it was a weak nose to start with! It’s anti-God, socialist homosexual loving liberals like this site that are ruining America!
So now we can’t bash candy-filled pinatas? I thought we were supposed to be more considerate to minorities? If I had any Mexican neighbors, what should I tell them? “Gosh, Padre. I was going to buy some pinatas from you people, but there’s lots of folks who frown on hitting paper dogs with sticks, so… Guess you’ll just have to stand in line for food stamps.
Is that what America is all about? Food stamps passed out by pinata-hating liberals???
Here’s an idea. As a God-fearing Christian, I believe HE loves those who obey His wishes. And as a loving God, he punishes those who do not follow the path of righteousness with eternal torture and damnation. God might wish this for these tree-kissing, pansy-bottom liberals: How about instead of paper animals, we fill liberals full of candy, string em up under a tree and bash them with clubs until they explode in a shower of candy. Now that’s a pinata party worth having! And God bless the right America.
December 9th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
@Neo: I’m a liberal! String me up! It’ll be a ball!
March 15th, 2010 at 8:05 am
This is absolutely rediculous. I’ve seen a lot of bullshit calls in my day but this one tops them all. Clearly you havn’t taught your daughter enough values for her to know not to beat you with a bat. It’s people like you that make kids grow up in this idea of a nerfball little world. This is rediculous.
Oh, and maybe since your daughter doesn’t know any better I would hide anything in your house that resembles some that she coudl beat you with like.. just about everything in your house. Like nice try kid
April 8th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Dont blame pinatas for your lack of intelligence. YOU should have had the sense to teach your daughter how to responsibly participate in that activity. YOUR negligence in doing so is YOUR fault.
How DARE you attack a cultural tradition like that. If you choose not to use them in your parties that is your decision based off of your own ignorance of Mexican traditions but who are you to attack the entire tradition? Its not your place nor is it appropriate.
I dont know where you get off with this idiocy but its amazing. Your ignorance is further displayed with your moronic comments on Mexico being a violent society. It is no more, infact less violent, than the United States. For the record Bull fighting is Spanish NOT Mexican. Pinatas are not violent in nature. They are one of the many rich traditions found in the Mexican culture. If you do not understand what that tradition is then you shouldnt bash it and call it violent. Your arguments are circular, and you are clearly not properly informed on the traditions behind the use of pinatas nor Mexican culture. Your a joke.
April 21st, 2010 at 11:25 am
While this subject could be extremely touchy for plenty of people, my opinion is that there has got to be a middle or general ground that we all can find. I do appreciate that you’ve additional relevant and also intelligent commentary here though. Thank you!
April 30th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Um, did I read that wrong? Couldn’t we just explain to the kids the difference between hitting a person and a pinata? Kids aren’t stupid, you know. Pinatas are a fun part of a birthday, and tomorrow, I’m going to a pinata party with all five of my kids.
May 5th, 2010 at 6:25 am
I notice many people have called you on the fact that you are, indeed, a racist ass. You claim that you are not, and even add that those words “…the people of Mexico. Yes, they are largely a violent society…” are detracting from this site’s intentions – yet the offensive speech remains. Why? Like most racists, you like seeing the hate you spew cause a reaction.
This is America, you are allowed to speak of your hate. Just grow up and admit the truth. We all can see it, even if you deny.
Final point: Your child attacking you as you slept is classic of abused children retaliating against their physical and/or sexual tormentor. That your child was once vibrant and animated yet today is shy and withdrawn also supports this conclusion
May 6th, 2010 at 11:36 am
You’ve got to be kidding me? I agree with Sophia, just tell them you only hit the pinata! How bad of a parent can you be to not tell your daughter not to hit someone in the face WITH A BAT! Jesus Christ you’re fucking stupid
May 6th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
You are a racist shit. This sentence in particular: “Yes, they are largely a violent society, with the pinatas, the bull fights, the criminals coming across our borders and what not. But for the most part they seem to be hard workers – they mow our yards, clean our houses and pick up our trash.”
Are you serious?! This is the most ridiculous blog I’ve EVER seen. If your kid hit you in the face with a bat several times – I bet you did something to deserve it. Well adjusted four year olds don’t just beat someone in the face with a bat. Dave said it best: Your kid sounds like a sexual abuse survivor.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:19 am
I say give your daughter the bat again so she can knock some sense into you. It’s freaks like you that give the americans a bad name.