Playground Politics: The Small Things That Shape What we Care About Today

There’s a bunch of other materialistic things that everyone was obsessed with, too, like having a Club Penguin membership or the rarest Pokémon card. In the midst of all this, I started to realize caring about what consumer item you had was lowkey stupid. I became immune to getting flamed in middle school for wearing Skechers instead of $300 Jordans, and I didn’t bother with Dubai Chocolate Labubu summer. (I will say I did fall for Hydroflasks, though.)

I noticed that this anti-consumerist belief had stuck with me since I was 7. Then, I started to realize that a lot of the small issues I faced growing up shaped my politics today. I asked myself, “How much do the small observations an individual makes in childhood impact their beliefs now?” Now, you all get to listen to me yap about how maybe it is that deep.

I asked my friends to see if there was any sort of childhood issue that cultivated a strong belief in them. I got a wide range of answers. One friend had a similar sentiment as me, but towards kids’ superiority complexes in the class-by-academic-ability system they had in elementary/middle school. Francesca – AAPC’s writing editor – gave a little rant about how having new school uniforms at her high school was an unwritten status symbol. Another friend talked about how seeing kids without lunch money only eating cheese sandwiches encouraged them to share food with others. We all developed some motivation to do better from the tiniest of injustices.

The point being is that maybe I wasn’t crazy for having this idea! How we are raised growing up is integral in determining how we respond to certain situations. We develop these beliefs as kids, but did we learn how to stop being silent?

I expanded on this with Jodie, Katrina, and Will in this month’s AAPC podcast (check it out later this month on AAPC’s YouTube). We were asked, “As an Asian American, did you grow up with anyone who taught you how to speak up for yourself? Did they teach you about protest, beliefs, participating in social justice conversations, etc?”

We realized we all had a similar answer. Asian families generally tend to stay passive, and for immigrant families, they play by the rules if they want to prove their successful assimilation into white American culture. We also agreed that there are a lot of things that people think, but don’t say out loud, and remain followers rather than leaders.

I questioned the approach to how complicity is taught to people. In school, we’re taught a very basic principle: “Here are the rules; if you don’t follow them, there are consequences” (per Jodie). We’re not taught to fight back or question the rules, hence, for example, we get into situations where the bullied gets into just as much trouble as the bully does. Bringing this up as an example, Katrina gives the possible explanation that we are taught to be nonconfrontational, so teachers (a.k.a. those in power) deal with less, because it makes things easier for everyone, right?

Before anyone jumps to conclusions, I’m not implying that our school system has been trying to indoctrinate us since Kindergarten with teaching manners like crossing your arms in the hallway. It is absolutely important that we’re taught the basic, fundamental principles of respect. It would most likely be confusing to teach children about fighting back in the context of social justice as well. But, I am saying that the consequences we face in our desire for justice – no matter if we’re at the Supreme Court or at the principal’s office – encourage us to be followers rather than leaders.

There has to be a point where we figured that, just because something is legal, doesn’t mean it’s right. At what point did we start questioning those in power? 

Some might say we can attribute this to the media we watch growing up and the social media we use in our teenage years and adulthood as an example. But personally, I had developed this skepticism since elementary school. I remember in Kindergarten when it was time to line up for lunch, my teacher had the kids who packed lunch from home go to the front, and the kids who got school lunch go to the back. For a lot of the days, the back of the line was a little chatty, so my teacher would go “packers, you’re being very good, buyers, you’re being very loud”. Perhaps it was sensitive of me to ponder on the phenomenon at age 5, but it really had me thinking: Usually, the kids who bring a packed lunch have involved parents at home, right? But if you got school lunch, it could be for various reasons; maybe you simply didn’t have time to pack, or maybe there was food insecurity at home. Five-year-old me wondered, “Why did my teacher make it like this?” Maybe the back of the line was being loud, but it still didn’t feel fair.

I went from questioning thoughts to developing strong opinions later on in fourth grade when I had a teacher who seemed to have a few favorite students. (If you are one of my friends, I have ranted to about this 100x times over, I am sorry you have to hear it again.) You could tell she really liked a student when she called them a “bean” at the end of their name. (For example, I would be her “Paulina-bean”– I was in fact not her Paulina-bean AT ALL). They were considered the smart kids, and almost all of them brought a packed lunch and had PTA parents. I didn’t necessarily hate this bean party, but I had a “what about us?” affinity towards everyone else in my class. My teacher would call us to line up by last name, “A-G line up”, “H-Q line up”, then sometimes one of the bean-classed students would tell her something cool, and she’d forget and go “everyone else line up”. With my last name being “T”, I’ll have to admit I was slightly offended. Not that I wanted to make it about me, but I hated the idea that some people were more visible to my teacher than others. Not even that, but I didn’t know what I could do to become a “bean” as well, only she decided based on whatever reason.

Unfortunately, being the shy kid I was, I never gave myself the chance to directly take action on this. But now, I recognize the power I had in the past and present. Maybe nine-year-old me couldn’t stage a coup d’état against her teacher, but she sure did learn how to look out for other people. I’ve grown into a person who’s driven to make everyone feel safe and seen, and it’s because I was able to recognize the beauty in how everyone is important and how I can use my power to amplify that. 

This is a power that I have found, and I encourage others to find their power too. From the questions we have, to the opinions we develop, to the actions we take, our power can stem from the smallest of inconveniences to the biggest of wars. There is an art in asking questions out loud and staying true to your opinion, and unfortunately, it is gradually losing itself. There is beauty in taking action. All of these things encompass the bravery society today is so afraid to face. Take a look at the small things that you notice, maybe it’s a childhood memory like mine, or maybe it’s a friend’s behavior that’s bothering you. Think about it for a bit and see what you can do. If you’re not sure where to start with making an impact, it does not hurt to start by getting together with friends. There is a lot of division happening on the national scale, and I believe there will be a change when we organize not only big, but also small.