Cas Holman

Kids early on at the playground, that social hierarchy is really different because it's going to be the kids who are good at play.

They are the coolest ones.

Exactly.

That person is a champion.

Or the kid who can paint a weird blotch on the corner with the chalk, figured out that if you add water to chalk, it's like rainbow paste.

That is the hero.

which is such an interesting segue to where we are right now, because I think we're seeing play get shut down by a bully.

Comedy and satire is play.

And we have a bully who is shutting down play.

And that, first of all, shows the power of play, that play is so threatening that a bully who has the power to do so is going to shut it down.

And it's also a way to kind of remind us that play isn't a thing we do to then be able to be resilient.

Yes, play makes us resilient, but play actually is the resistance.

By playing, we are continuing to push back on anything that tells us that we need to not be human.

Continuing to play is, in fact, also resistance.

Yeah.

I think marginalized communities know this well.

It was interesting writing the book.

People will say, well, why are you so good at play?

You know, I'm kind of like, deep dive into like, why am I good at play?

Well, as a child, you mentioned latchkey kid or just not having adults around.