Stick Nation – The Weird Side of the Internet

Stick Nation – The Weird Side of the Internet – by Liam Sweeny.

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but if I take away the stones, I’m left with sticks, and while they can bruise me pretty much, they’re also really cool. How many of you found magical sticks in the woods when you were kids? If you didn’t, I feel bad for you. I was never into magic wands, but I was definitely into ninjas and GI Joe, so I found stic that had swordlike and gunlike properties and so did my friends and we had a blast.

Meet Physician’s Assistant Boone Hogg and marketing and music production guru Logan Jugler. One day they found a stick that was so radiant that it inspired them to create a stick-reviewing account, with its very own TikTok called StikTok. And people from around the world came to present their sticks and comment on those of others.

This isn’t about gatekeeping or saying who has the best stick. It’s all about the coolness, and what you name your stick, and the “lore” or your stick. It’s a free-for-all for the most simple joy, the joy of finding a cool stick. This goes way back to our ancestors in caves.

It’s called “Stick Nation” and it has members in all seven continents (Artica’s stick is an ice stick, ruled official, as no one is allowed to bring sticks to Antarctica for fear of contaminating the biome.) There are a couple of famous people, like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Dermot Mulroney. And it’s growing.

Why can’t we have more things like this? As I said “sticks and stones,” is there a “Stone Nation?” A “StoneTok”? I’m on a missioin to find out. I’m also on a mission to find me a cool-ass stick. And I’m going to make up some really cool lore, like what mythical creature’s ass did I pull this stick from, who is now honor bound to support me in my adventures? (I’m thinking a dragon, but we’ll see.)

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