Have you ever noticed that in any group situation, the dynamic is total playground?
Sure, you can be much more sophisticated (hey, if this post were an analysis of The Simpsons, it would be more couch philosopher than MIT Media and Communications Department) and invoke the worthy disciplines of sociology, anthropology and psychology, but as far as social metaphors go, the playground is the semantic Ur-tool for me. It could be a board meeting, it could be a marketing pow wow, it could be a party. Human animals fall into social hierarchies and play their parts. And everyone complains about each other afterwards.
The playground is full of more roles than a school play (and no-one gets left out). There’s the:
Bully Loudmouth — The kid who demands attention, is the loudest, shoves others around. Lays the social smackdown to elevate their own standing. A coward slash messed up slash emotionally needy at heart.
Wallflower — The shy kid who hangs around the fringes of the conversation and at the periphery of the play, but is actually really sweet and responds well if anyone takes the time to get to know them. Also known as the Nerd, or the Geek, or the Shy Fly.
Golden Kids — That ‘in’ group that have the looks, the skillz to pay the billz, and are a closed shop to anyone but the admitted few. Can be intentionally rude and definitely exclusionary.
Rebel — Playin’ it their way, sometimes socially obnoxious, sometimes exciting to be around, but always contemptuous of authority. Often diametrically opposed to the Golden Kids.
—– Insert dozens of other types here.
I’ve found talking with other parents can be like this, particularly in situations such as park encounters or playgroup. And often, talking to other people (and being honest about myself), I sometimes have the uncanny feeling that I know what they would have been like as a child, or a teenager. I get a vision of them sitting in a classroom, playing their part. And perhaps what their parents were/are like.
It’s scary when the kids are out-kidded by the adults. Hey, stop flinging sand!
