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Mitt Romney bullied kid for looking "gay" back in school
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Baconsammy
Banned
An 18 year old isn't a kid. And someone that isn't a sociopathic asshole remembers doing something as horrible as terrorizing a gay kid to the point of holding him down and cutting off his hair. Normal people dont forget that.
maladroit
Member
have you personally met a lot of 18 year olds you considered adults? i haven't, so i'll keep calling them kids. i'm sorry you're surprised high schoolers are terrible to each other, though.
I have... certainly far more adult than someone who basically assaults someone else for looking differently...
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
Many republicans feel that Trayvon was old enough to be legally murdered in self defense from a skittles attack.
Baconsammy
Banned
Yes, I have. I'm not surprised they're terrible to each other. So are adults. But it takes a real asshole to do that and then claim it slipped your mind. But then again, the way he's dealt with people as an adult isn't all that different.
Fine, if that's the case... Apologize, admit you were a stupid kid and that you sincerely regret it.
Of course he did the exact opposite- Pretending that it never happened. It's just insulting to our intelligence to say that you 'forgot' doing something like that.
adamsappel
Member
Some people are upset with his actions as a young man. Others are concerned with his reaction now. The whole Romney campaign seems to suffer from great cognitive dissonance. They were pushing the narrative that ol' Mitt was a real cut-up as a youth. They should have had some kind of response for people who thought cutting the hair of the hippie queer and walking Mr. Magoo into walls wasn't that funny.
16 year olds are old enough to drive a car. Old enough to drink in a lot of places, too. Doesn't mean they aren't still kids. That period from 18-24 or so is usually a time when a lot of people start to finally wake up to the real world after being sheltered in their parents house their entire lives. With it comes a lot of 'growing up' and many people change quite a bit.
Also, this isn't about being held accountable. No one is trying to pass the blame off to anyone. Even a 10 year old bully has to be accountable for any bullying he does. And no one is saying that this behavior is ok or doesn't need to be punished or something. But you cant punish somebody 40 years later for something like this. Thats where the unfairness comes from with people still trying to condemn him for this.
If you want to argue about patterns of behavior or that his 'apology' was insincere, unsympathetic and hardly an apology at all, I probably wont have any arguments. But some people are definitely making too big a deal about the actual actions he made when he was 18. Seems most people are being reasonable and understanding that its not really the main issue here, but some are certainly getting fairly upset over that part of the story.
I think the other problem is that Mitt and Ann Romney and the campaign pushed the narrative that Mitt is actually still a fun loving, prank doing guy underneath it all. That was in response to the notion that he's really some sort of unfeeling robot. So they tried to convince people that, hey, underneath it all he's still a wild and crazy guy like when he was young. Then it comes out that his wild and crazy youth was really just not that "fun" and a bit more questionable.
So I think it's fair to really bring this up and condemn it a little bit, because they pushed that he was still this sort of guy. Then when people questioned it he wasn't very apologetic, further symbolizing that he really has no problem with the behavior, or at least just doesn't fully understand why people would be upset at him for it.
So I think it's fair to really bring this up and condemn it a little bit, because they pushed that he was still this sort of guy. Then when people questioned it he wasn't very apologetic, further symbolizing that he really has no problem with the behavior, or at least just doesn't fully understand why people would be upset at him for it.
But when people say stuff like "boys will be boys" and "this is just what high schoolers do" that's exactly what they're doing. They're diminishing responsibility. After all, why would you hold someone accountable for an act you believe in their very nature? I don't blame toddlers for throwing tantrums, why blame high schoolers for bullying?
Many people grow up a lot over their college years, but let's not forget all the growing they did before that. Someone should know the difference between right and wrong by the time they're 18. 18 year-olds should be fully aware that bullying people is wrong.
No, definitely, I'm not defending this political attack against Romney, I just disagree with the notion that bullying is simply in an 18 year-old's nature, and one can't be condemned for it.
That's not entirely fair either... Kids do stupid shit. It IS a part of growing up, and that includes bullying for some people.
Not to victimize the bully, but most bullies don't come from the best living situation and there are many things going on under the surface for them, as well.
If he had just owned up to it this wouldn't be as big of a story.
bengraven
Member
Welcome to the thread. You should read the thread.
Everyone does stupid shit, but there comes a point in life when someone can justifiably say to you "hey, that's stupid. you should know better."
I've bullied people before too, but I can at least acknowledge that I was wrong and I should have known better.
Exactly- And therein lies the point.
If a presidential candidate can't figure out that simple point at this point in his life... Then either he's stupid or he thinks we're stupid.
Either scenario doesn't inspire confidence in me.
I've not gone through all 16 pages, but has it been mentioned if there were any consequences for his actions?
I know it was in the past so it probably wouldn't be dealt with as seriously compared to now. If that happened at my school the student would have been expelled and the police probably involved.
I know it was in the past so it probably wouldn't be dealt with as seriously compared to now. If that happened at my school the student would have been expelled and the police probably involved.
The hell it is. I was a complete asshole in high school. There's a reason you have to be over 35 to run for President.
adamsappel
Member
Why is it wrong to condemn him for this? Doing stupid things when you're young doesn't mean it can't be discussed when you're older. He's not being "punished," and nobody is suggesting that assault charges be brought against him. To me, it's just further evidence how out of touch he is (and apparently always has been). "Remember all that fun we had being crazy in high school?" "You mean like when you held down that screaming guy and forcibly cut his hair, or when you walked the nearly-blind guy into the wall?" "Yeah, good times!"
That doesn't apply to Romney at all.
BotoxAgent
Member
Mitt is a pampered prick. A man who was born in a position of privilege from the start from that generation wouldn't surprise me if he is incapable of admitting mistakes or showing compassion for those who are beneath his stature.
We all made mistakes in High school that we regret and learned from them. But Mitt is a special case....he seems to get really testy when challenged and then just outright lies or waffles around to the point of looking strange or out of touch.
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