The Politics of Hair-Pulling

“… and it ought to be replaced by a system of perfect equality, admitting no power and privilege on the one side, nor disability on the other.”

— John Stuart Mill

In the graphic,

she has an angry facial expression,

with her teeth clenched.

She is standing behind him,

gripping his hair with one hand.

He is leaning forward,

appearing distressed

as his hair is being pulled.

A blindfolded statue wearing

a flowing Greco-Roman dress.

She holds a raised balance scale and a sword.

We must crush the serpent of impunity

coiling around her bare feet.

Author’s Note: This poem was inspired by a viral graphic circulated online by Startalk Daily Scoop, which portrays a political quarrel through the imagery of hair-pulling. The poem is a work of political satire and artistic commentary, not a factual account of an actual physical altercation.