Talk about taking things too far:

Fairfax County middle school student Hal Beaulieu hopped up from his lunch table one day a few months ago, sat next to his girlfriend and slipped his arm around her shoulder. That landed him a trip to the school office.

Among his crimes: hugging.

All touching -- not only fighting or inappropriate touching -- is against the rules at Kilmer Middle School in Vienna. Hand-holding, handshakes and high-fives? Banned. The rule has been conveyed to students this way: "NO PHYSICAL CONTACT!!!!!"

We're now raising an entire generation with the lesson that physical contact is bad.  That not only is it wrong to desire to make a physical connection with someone, now matter how inconsequential, but that you should feel harmed if someone chooses to do this to you.  Instead of a high five being a way to recognize something cool, it's now one step short of a fight.  Instead of a hug being offered as a way to show caring or support, it's now sexual misconduct.

The fears over "inappropriate" touching are overwhelming common sense so much, that kids are being taught to remain in a bubble, and interact as little as possible with others.  They are being taught to fear it.

No wonder they go on the Internet to chat with their friends.  That's probably the only place where they feel safe to interact with their peers in a way that won't be second guessed by everyone.  How sad is that?  Saying >:D< online is now more acceptable than the real thing.

Via Hit & Run.

Update:  Some more thoughts from Dr. Helen:

Because we do not allow fighting of any kind, kids no longer know how to fight and when they become enraged, they go overboard and hurt others in ways that before were unimaginable. Kids can no longer be touched in appropriate ways so some engage in sex early as a way to get any kind of affection denied to them by society. Heck, most adults stay so far away from kids they don't know (or those they do know) for fear of being called a pervert or abuser that many kids lack for adult companionship and mentoring. So they grow up lonely.

Our society  has become this range of extremes.  Not just touching either.  This is how we treat alcohol, gambling and drugs.  When you ban something so that moderate consumption is hard, and teaching moderate consumption is impossible, people go to the extremes instead as soon as they get the chance.  This is not healthy living.