This week we saw the issue of bullying thrust into the public spotlight upon learning that our would-be Commander in Chinos was so offended by his gay classmates long hair that he led a gang of his pals to hold the boy down so he could hack off his non-conformist locks with a pair of scissors. When asked about the incident, Mittens invoked a Romnesia defense and claimed he simply didn't remember anything of the sort. Later, in full etch-a-sketch mode, he issued a weak non-apology for "maybe going to far" with his Assault & Battery "joking around".
Romney Scissorhands by ~Windthin on deviantART
Of course Mittens relationship with the truth is about as strong as a Kardashians marriage, so who knows if he's simply lying his ass off about not remembering the incident. The alternative-that he actually doesn't remember doing such a terrible thing-is pretty chilling. One thing is for sure though-John Lauber apparently remembered it very well, up until the day he died.
So this open thread, I'm inviting you to share your own bullying stories if you have them.
Were you the target of bullying? Were you a bully yourself? And how did your school or community respond to bullying when you were growing up?
I'll start with my story, from the 9th grade, below the baguette de kos.
"Thlut!"
I remember it like it happened yesterday. I was coming out of the locker room, headed to my History class when she parked herself in front of me. She was tall and built like a tree trunk.
"Are you Webecka?" she asked. I nodded.
"Oh, I justh wanthed to wet you know, youwe a thlut!"
Without even thinking, I blurted out the words that would come back to bite me-"uh, what's a thlut?"
I should point out that this girl didn't have a speech impediment-I wouldn't make fun of someones disability, because I'm not a bully. No, what she had was a tongue ring that must have gotten infected, because her tongue was swollen up like a bloated slug hanging out of her mouth. But she did not take too kindly to my little comeback. Her name was Morgan, and she spent the rest of the school year terrorizing me.
Morgan was not only relentless, she was a great recruiter. She got at least half of the upperclassmen, including almost all of the girls, to join her team. When I walked down the halls I'd hear that word ringing in my ears- Slut! Slut! Thlut! Here comes the Freshman slut!
I have no idea what I did to earn such a nickname in the first place. When I asked, I never got an answer, other than "you're just a slut/thlut" Apparantly by virtue of breathing and having female organs, I was a thlut. Walking to class became a terrifying experience-I was constantly at risk for being tripped, verbally taunted, or "accidentally" knocked on my ass or pushed into a locker by one of the groups of girls who would walk down the halls, arms locked, running me down like a human bulldozer. It got so bad that I started hiding in the bathroom between classes, waiting until the halls were empty and then just showing up to class a few minutes late. Eventually,someone wised up to this and sent me to the guidance counselor.
I can't remember the counselors name, but I'll always remember what she did for me. As soon as I got to her office and she closed the door I burst into tears. She wrapped me up in a hug and told me it was going to be OK, and that she was going to take care of it.
Half of the junior class received In School Suspensions after I told her what they had done. It was such a huge scandal that the school was afraid for my safety-so for about a week, I had to hide out in her office and do my work in there instead of going to class. When it came time for me to reintigrate back into the school, she enlisted her daughter-who was a popular senior-to look out for me.
The girls name was Megan, and despite being drop dead gorgeous and obscenely wealthy, she was one of the sweetest and most humble girls I've ever met. Along with a couple of her friends, she became my "buddy system"-walking with me to class and letting me to sit at the lunch table with her. The few times Morgan and her clan tried to start shit, she stood in front of me like a human shield and told her right to her face how pathetic she was to be picking on a Freshman girl who had done nothing to provoke such treatment. Before long, Morgan and her clan-completely outclassed and shamed by Megan and the senior girls-backed off and I spent the rest of the school year in relative peace.
What Megan did was an act of leadership. She could have easily become a target for taking what was, at the time, a very unpopular stance. Even popular girls aren't immune from being bullied. But at 18 years old she had the courage and integrity that Willard Romney lacked at her same age-and more importantly lacks even to this day. That's the true scandal here, as far as I'm concerned. It's not the fact that Mittens was a bully when he was 18-it's the fact that he's still a bully at 65 years old. And he still lacks the courage and integrity to stand up and say that he did the wrong thing. He had the opportunity to use this moment in the way that Obama used the Reverend Wright scandal to open up a dialogue about a very serious issue that hurts kids across this country, sometimes even costing their lives. Instead, in typical Mitt Romney style, he's trying to slither his way out of taking responsibility for anything.
Still, I think the response to this story is actually a good sign for the future of this country. While there has been debate about the political relevance of this story, there seems to at least be a widespread consensus that what Mittens and pals did to this young man was despicable. I don't think we would have seen this reaction, say, 10 years ago. Bullying just isn't as "cool" as it used to be. We are getting a better understanding of how devastating it's impact can be on a child's life and learning.
Maybe I'm still riding my wave of euphoria over President Obama's announcement this week, but I feel like we are making progress. Slowly but surely we are becoming a kinder and more tolerant society. Hopefully a society where an unapologetic bully is not a viable candidate for dog catcher, let alone president.
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