Pine Wood Derby is upon us and with it, a lot of controversy. Specifically, this year the concern is over use of carved baby carrot men in place of the standard rubber-plastic figurine drivers. There are no outright rules against the use of finger foods in this way, but it leaves many silently looking at the walls, shaking their heads in private and mumbling comments about “not doing things like this before,” amongst men who'd rather not talk to one another at all. It might've gone unremarked entirely if the contingent of boys from Elmwood hadn't devoted so much time to the creation of period-accurate clothing and back stories for the carrot men. Many of the troop leaders were uncomfortable with the Elmwood boys acting out their drivers' histories, complete with practiced vocal accents and corresponding limps.

Chris Weagel

Chris Weagel writes about the intersection of technology and parenting for Wired Magazine. No he doesn't. He can't stand that shit.

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