The new monsters

Every civilization has its monsters.

Tales told around the campfire, stories regaled in the dim glow of lamps in shanty cabins, scared children huddling in their beds as parents told them of creatures large and small. It’s a way to keep children in line and to keep parents in charge.

We remember the stories of witches, werewolves, ghosts, dragons, vampires and all of the things that go “bump in the night.”

But, this is the 21st Century. Those monsters no longer frighten. Movies, books, television shows, the internet, have made those former monsters, not only not scary, but sometimes even likeable.

We need new monsters for a new society. We need monsters to show the world that we care about our children, and to keep our children in line.

And, we’ve found them. We call them “bullies.”

Bullies have always been with us. Throughout time, bullies have been a reality. We learned to live with them, ignore them or fight them. We always knew they were present.

Now, with our need to create new monsters, we’ve elevated bullies to that highest of platform. With the help of hovering parents, acquiescent school administrators, bored bureaucrats and mothering legislators, we’ve made bullies into the new 21st Century monster.