Comments | ysabetwordsmith: Poem: "Pulling Pigtails"

ysabetwordsmith

Poem: "Pulling Pigtails"

Mar 25, 2014 00:22

This poem is spillover from the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from siliconshaman. It also fills the "youth" square in my 1-31-14 card for the Origfic Bingo fest. This poem was chosen in an audience poll to be opened for microfunding. It belongs to the series Polychrome HeroicsNote that when this poem is fully funded, you'll ( Read more... )

fantasy, reading, gender studies, writing, fishbowl, education, poetry, cyberfunded creativity, poem, weblit

Comments 6

silver_gull April 2 2014, 04:36:28 UTC

I remember being told as a child that a boy (and his posse) teased me because he liked me. I never understood how knowing that was supposed to make a difference. Congratulations, you got my attention: as my enemy, who kept getting me in trouble because as an undiagnosed autism spectrum child with ADHD I could not fail to react to a sustained campaign of verbal and emotional abuse. And somehow I was supposed to LIKE them for it ( ... )

Okay... ysabetwordsmith April 2 2014, 07:12:38 UTC

>> I remember being told as a child that a boy (and his posse) teased me because he liked me. <<

It's often said. It is not often true; usually what happens is a bully picking on a disliked victim.

>> I never understood how knowing that was supposed to make a difference. Congratulations, you got my attention: as my enemy, who kept getting me in trouble because as an undiagnosed autism spectrum child with ADHD I could not fail to react to a sustained campaign of verbal and emotional abuse. And somehow I was supposed to LIKE them for it? <<

Adults frequently fail to distinguish between affectionate teasing, roughhousing meant to be affectionate that is too rough, and abuse. This is a problem. It is especially a problem in that middle ground where someone is fond, but does not understand what to do with that emotion or how to express it appropriately, so does inappropriate things instead.

>> Plucky Girl seems to have had a positive response, though. ... )

Re: Okay... silver_gull April 2 2014, 12:00:37 UTC

>> It's often said. It is not often true; usually what happens is a bully picking on a disliked victim.<<

This time it did turn out to be true. He eventually asked me out, and then asked why I said no. One really has to wonder what he'd been told at the start of it, and all through the years we knew each other.

When I called Plucky Girl's response "positive," I only meant it in the sense of being the one it seemed Bully Boy wanted. In no way do I think it was a good one; more like testing positive for, as you said, the early stages of Stockholm Syndrome. Her motive for acting as if the adults were right makes sense, as does the way the relationship is set to change. I hope things wind up working out for them, whether together or separately.

Re: Okay... ysabetwordsmith April 12 2014, 21:10:42 UTC

>> This time it did turn out to be true. He eventually asked me out, and then asked why I said no. One really has to wonder what he'd been told at the start of it, and all through the years we knew each other. <<

0_o Yeah, that's creepy. Sometimes people get bad advice. Other times they just make shit up.

>> When I called Plucky Girl's response "positive," I only meant it in the sense of being the one it seemed Bully Boy wanted. <<

It is that. But it's personally complicated too, because of what she has been told, which leads to ...

>> In no way do I think it was a good one; more like testing positive for, as you said, the early stages of Stockholm Syndrome. <<

... this mess.

>> Her motive for acting as if the adults were right makes sense, as does the way the relationship is set to change. I hope things wind up working out for them, whether together or separately. <<

Feel free to ask for more about them in any relevant prompt call. Next up is the crowdfunding Creative Jam running April 19-20 with a theme of "characterization."

anonymous June 1 2020, 20:47:23 UTC

Ooh, this hits the 'high school is awkward' vibe brilliantly and poor Plucky Girl, Lawrence and Socket. Figuring out oneself is difficult but even more so when society has preconcieved expectations of people. Plucky Girl is expected to except rough teasing as affection and then people wonder why disadvantaged people end up searching out abusive relationships.

Lawrence and Socket's peers expect everyone to conform to hetrosexuality so anyone who they suspect of having differing attraction gets ridiculed and bullied and on the worst end of the scale, killed. Why must humans as a society kill or hurt people that are different from the norm?

Continuing onto Peace Offerings :)

~Angel

Thoughts ysabetwordsmith June 2 2020, 06:37:33 UTC

>> Ooh, this hits the 'high school is awkward' vibe brilliantly <<

Yay!

>>and poor Plucky Girl, Lawrence and Socket.<<

Yeah, there's a whole thread about Fortress too, but it's not gathered.

>> Figuring out oneself is difficult but even more so when society has preconcieved expectations of people.<<

Painfully true.

>> Plucky Girl is expected to except rough teasing as affection and then people wonder why disadvantaged people end up searching out abusive relationships.<<

Or why a child goes from crying to hitting to running away.

>> Lawrence and Socket's peers expect everyone to conform to hetrosexuality so anyone who they suspect of having differing attraction gets ridiculed and bullied and on the worst end of the scale, killed.<<

Yyyyyeah.

>> Why must humans as a society kill or hurt people that are different from the norm?... )