(Please Don't) Kick Me

"Another thing I think about names is that they do hurt.  They hurt because we believe them.  We think they are telling us something true about ourselves, something other people can see even if we don't.

Lardo fluff fatso faggot fairy dweeb mutant freak ree-tard loser greaser know-it-all beanpole geek dork...

Is that me? we think.  Is that who I am?" (from The Misfits, by James Howe)

-------------

Maybe you could have guessed it, but I was never the most popular kid in school.  I was quiet, and I hated when all of the attention was focused on me.  I was in band, which put me into a certain category at my school.  I was also a "smart kid," so apply whatever stigma that phrase comes saddled with.  But I was never seriously bullied or picked on.

The closest feeling I came to feeling bullied was when I was in 8th grade.  My brother (2 years younger and also smart and quiet) and I had the perfect Halloween costumes: we were going to be nerds.  Complete with short pants, high socks, suspenders, pocket protectors, glasses, and all the trappings of a stereotypical nerd.  To complete the outfit: a "kick me" sign on both of our backs (We should have known better, I suppose...)

As we went from house to house, grandparents, parents, and kids complimented our costumes.  We were feeling pretty good until Stephen, the typical "bully" in my class, came up, and yes, kicked us, right square in the back.  Hard.  It hurt, and consequently that was the last year my brother and I went trick-or-treating.  Part of it was that we were getting older, yes, but that memory was still a painful one.

What was the point of this story?  Well, never put a "kick me" sign on your back, for one.  But more importantly, this story proves that bullies do exist, names do hurt, and the middle and high school years are usually pretty tough for those without the "popular" formula down pat.

The kids in Misfits, the next YA book I read, are, by the standard definition, nerdy.  One is fat.  One is borderline genius.  One is gay.  One is named "Skeezie."  But out of nowhere they decide to put together their own party and run for student council.  A noble idea, to be sure, but is it a realistic one?

The author, James Howe, does a great job of teaching about the pain of bullying and the labels we use without even realizing it.  Better yet, he does it without cramming "values" and "kindness" and "equality" down your throat.  I appreciated it, and I appreciate this book.