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Musical Chairs Too Violent?

Remember that big kid who always shoved you out of the way, during musical chairs?

It wasn't your imagination. That innocent kindergarten game was encouraging aggressive tendencies, according to a children's group's study, entitled Towards a Nonviolent Society.

CBS News Correspondent Kimberly Dozier reports the study was launched by Britain's Education Minister Margaret Hodge, but she's now distancing herself from it, after outraged complaints from hordes of angry parents.

The pamphlet's author Sue Finch says games like musical chairs reward only the strongest and the fastest.

"A little bit of competition is fine, but with musical chairs the competition is not fair because it is always the biggest and strongest children who win," Finch was quoted as saying. "Musical statues is better because everybody wins."

Theresa May, education spokeswoman for the opposition Conservative Party, slammed the booklet and Hodge for launching it, saying it was "political correctness gone mad."

"Children have played and enjoyed it for years," May said of the game.

©2000 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Reuters contributed to this report

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