A View from A Floor

Barnes & Noble, Union Sq., 3rd Floor.

"Teasing, By Definition, Is Hostile"

Telling a child or adult not to be hurt by teasing is as bewildering as telling her not to flinch or cry when someone slaps her in the face because the assaulter was "just having fun...."

If you are sensitive to teasing, you have no apologies to make. Permitting yourself to be the brunt of jokes or the target of hostile humor is neither admirable nor a sign of emotional health. When you laugh along with those who tease you, you not only devalue your own self-esteem you also reward the teasers for their hurtfulness or cruelty as well.

~Dr. Harriet B. Baker, "The Disease to Please"