What I Hope the Future Holds for the Boy Who was Bullied for His My Little Pony Backpack
By Sarah Smith, REDBOOK.
There's a fairly happy ending to the story of the boy who got bullied for carrying a My Little Pony backpack. First, he was told by his school that it was a "trigger" and he should leave it at home, but now the school says he can bring it after all, and they'll help him transition back to school safely. Victim-blaming being not so pretty as a pony.
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But I have my eye on even happier endings for this kid. Here's what I hope happens to him next, and down the road:
This month: I hope he goes back to school and no one snickers quietly behind his back about the backpack, the fuss his mom caused, and how much attention the adults are paying him. This might be unrealistic. I remember being 9--there's more than one way to ostracize another kid. But still, I hope.
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This year: I hope that whatever his next great love is--"Let it Go," The LEGO Movie, or whatever succeeds Rainbow Loom--he isn't afraid to beg his mom to buy him the stuff. Like any good 9-year-old should. (Not that she should buy it all--I also hope she doesn't think this MLP fiasco means a kid should automatically get every single thing he wants.)
Next year: I hope there's a huge news story about someone who bought MLP memorabilia on eBay for an astronomical sum (frankly, it wouldn't surprise me, given the brand's obsessive adult following), and the kids in his class remember the bullying and get an early lesson in the economics of networking. Don't piss off the kid who's going to hire you someday.
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In high school: I hope he finds a group of friends who are into whatever he's into by then and that they protect each other from the mean cliques. That is what makes high school survivable: your friends.
In college: I hope he just has a really awesome time and doesn't have any reason to think about the MLP backpack at all.
When he's an adult: I hope that he supports his race car-obsessed son, and stops him before he picks on a boy who loves Barbie more than Hot Wheels. This one, minus the particular details, is the hope I'd actually put money on happening. Good luck, kid. Whatever awful thing you had to learn from this, your own child will benefit from--and someday, you'll realize that's the real justice.
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