Response

"Do think that ... all of THIS (and here Molly Margaret pointed and waggled her finger up and down) ... will make anybody like you?" It was a bully basic but, in truth, an opening so large and well-paved that you really could drive a truck through it. D.B. sat there, not knowing what to choose: should they answer, "If they like this (and here they would point to their own outfit), then they are my people!" or "There's no pressure to like me; heck, some days I don't like me!" or the ever popular, "Conversely, do you think that ... all of THIS (and here, D.B. would gesture to Molly Margaret's outfit) ... will successfully lead someone into your tar pits of dubious splendor and convince them to pay all of your bills for life?" That third one ... gosh, that was tempting, but D.B. had to wonder if there were just too many references to things only someone paying attention in school would understand. "It's not the bullying," D.B. would share with friends later, "it's the pressure to respond appropriately: don't stoop to their level; don't give them power; don't use big words ..."