Blog Credo

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

H.L. Mencken

Thursday, May 10, 2012

More Linky Postings

http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/05/10/mitt-romney-high-school-bully/#comments

The story about Mitt Romney bullying a kid in high school is disturbing, but not in a "holy crap" sort of way.  Bullying happens because kids are, well, stupid.  They often don't see past their own perspectives and they can't think of the long term implications of their actions. 

I bullied a kid in elementary school and junior high.  I was part of a group, and the kid was "different", in this case Jewish and nerdy in a preppy Atlanta school.  I honestly didn't like him for reasons that may or may not be legitimate, but I acted on that dislike because I was in the safety of a group and he was weaker than me at a time when I was pretty weak myself.

But here's the thing.  I can't think of my time at that school without thinking of David and what we did to him.  It is among the most shameful -probably THE most shameful - thing I have ever done.  I don't think I was an anti-Semite, simply because I didn't really understand what Judaism was.  All I know is that I was cruel because I could be, and it haunts me still.

Which is why Mitt Romney can't remember what he did so creepy.

Either he truly doesn't remember holding a boy down and cutting his hair off or he does and again he's compulsively lying about it.

Which is worse?

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