anti-bullying as world-building
We’ve all been teased at one point or another in our lives. In the same way, we have all probably done some teasing of our own—both bullied and bully, a relentlessly self-perpetuating cycle. One which seems to defy most attempts to stop it. What can we do to end the cruelty that frequently defines our experiences growing up, making friends, building careers, or navigating the salty waters of the internet? I’ve pondered this question for decades, attempting to articulate the profoundly personal. That which I know does not exist in a vacuum yet feels so isolated and singular. I know better, though, and seek the systemic. I seek the birdcage, as Marilyn Frye has called it, and see bullying as one of the many bars comprising its enclosure.
