We were all young once. I’m sure we all did things in high school that we aren’t particularly proud of. If you were a bully, you might even feel shame or horror for the pain that you caused. Or you would if you’ve grown up since and developed a sense of empathy for others.
If you were ever bullied, you may wonder if the bully remembers the things that he or she did to you. You probably hope that person is human enough that such horrors wouldn’t easily fade from his or her memory.
Mitt Romney was recently accused of bullying a gay student when he was in high school back in the 60’s. When I first heard the news, I was willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt. I mean, I wasn’t even born when this event took place, and I know I’ve changed a lot since I was in high school.
I think I could forgive someone who was a bully in high school, if that person was in high school 30 – 40 years ago and is no longer a bully today. But the fact that it’s such a non-issue to Romney that he doesn’t even remember doing it… that part I find very disturbing.
An honorable man would admit to his wrong-doing and apologize, not pretend not to remember that he’d ever done anything wrong. And a blanket apology to every person he may have ever wronged in high school isn’t going to cut it.
I don’t believe we should ever judge a person for the mistakes he’s made. If we insist on judging others, I believe we should judge only what they’ve learned from those mistakes. And apparently Mitt Romney has learned nothing.
How has bullying affected your life? If you were bullied as a child, what would you say to the bully today? Or if you were the bully, how do you feel about that now? Please comment below.
Related articles
- Rep: Mitt Romney is not a bully (cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com)
- Mitt Romney’s Bully Problem (studentactivism.net)
- Presidential Campaign Becomes The Bully Versus The Bullied (lezgetreal.com)
- Breitbart Blogger Dan Riehl: A High School Bully and Proud of It (littlegreenfootballs.com)
- Romney Counters Notion He Bullied Gay Classmates (kstp.com)
- ‘Mitt Romney Was a High School Bully’ (goodolewoody.wordpress.com)
- Mitt Romney Apologizes For High School Pranks, Denies Bullying Gay Students (thehollywoodgossip.com)
- Romney counters notion he bullied gay classmates (theglobeandmail.com)
- Mitt And The Bully Pulpit (ken_ashford.typepad.com)
- The Pothead or the Bully (bilerico.com)
Write on the World 