In Michigan, 16-year-old Whitney Kropp was nominated for the Homecoming Court. She was ecstatic until she found out it was a big joke. People pointed and laughed at her in the hallway. She felt like killing herself after the humiliation. Ugh. I swear to God. Kids are cruel.
When word of this incident spread, the community rallied around her. A hair stylist offered to cut and color her hair. A shop owner donated a dress for Homecoming. She was able to go to Homecoming with her head held high. Even members of the opposing team cheered her on as she came out before the game. I hope those who bullied her feel really ashamed of themselves. I’m glad Whitney had the last laugh.
I hate bullies. I get flashbacks of junior high when I changed schools. All my friends went to a different junior high, and I was the new girl among kids who grew up together.
Anyway, my hair is naturally curly. It was a hot mess when I was younger. One of my classmates decided to comment on it. Daily. My favorite question was, “Do you brush your hair with a blow torch?” Ugh. I really hated going to school. Those two years sucked. Bad.
So, because of those experiences, when I hear about bullies, I immediately get pissed off. When I heard that Mitt Romney bullied a classmate, I was disgusted. He bullied a boy he presumed was gay because he had long hair. The thing is, this went way beyond name-calling.
Romney pinned this boy down and cut his hair.
His response? He laughed and said,
“I don’t remember that incident…As for pranks that were played back then, I don’t remember them all, but again you know, [in my] high school days I did of stupid things. I’m afraid I gotta say sorry for it…As for the teasing and the taunts that go on in high school, that’s a long time ago, for me that’s about what 48 years ago, if there’s anything I said that was offensive to somebody I’m certainly sorry about that, very deeply sorry about that.”
Let’s see. He laughed, doesn’t remember the incident, and apologizes for what he said. How about what he did? I guess if you don’t remember it, it didn’t happen. Therefore, you don’t have to apologize for it? Wow.
I’m sorry, but even if I wasn’t a hardcore Democrat, I would never even entertain voting for a man like this. That apology was about as real as a Canal Street Birkin. It sickens me that this is who the GOP has to offer as their nominee for the President of the United States.
Message to Bullies Everywhere: Karma is a bitch. I hope you get/got yours. And to Scott from junior high? If you’re a decent guy now and are sorry for what you did, it’s all good. I forgive you. If you’re not a decent guy, I hope your life really sucks. And that you take a long walk off a short pier.
Spinny Liberal 
October 1st, 2012 at 1:33 AM
am glad I never came across bullies in my school days!wondering whether I was a bully myself…hmmmm…thinking..thinking,,,thinking…no I wasn’t.phew!
I cannot resist commenting on politics 🙂
If we dissect every person’s life like this, no one will ever qualify to run for elections. A perfect person does not exist and we should not look at traits that shift the focus away from more important things like economy and social issue.
October 2nd, 2012 at 7:28 PM
Politics, the dark and tempting mistress. 😉
Good point about no perfect people. He’s a bully, though. I’d take “not perfect,” but I won’t take “not even decent.” If he truly doesn’t remember, he could have said, “I don’t remember doing that, but if I did, oh my God I am so sorry. There’s no excuse for that, but I can assure you I’m not that person today.” See? That would be what a decent person would say.
It’s not about shifting focus because the focus always comes back to the economy – with jobs and consumer confidence reports. Those come out all the time, and Mitt can (and does) comment on it. Stories like these give more information about him. Sadly, my respect for him is rapidly declining as stories like these come out.
October 2nd, 2012 at 8:11 PM
sadly indeed 😦
but isn’t it a fact that the stories one hears are stories one seeks? Why not try living a week as a make believe Romney supporter 😉
October 2nd, 2012 at 8:34 PM
Ooooh good point about seeking/hearing stories. I don’t like him. Maybe that’s why I am extra receptive to stories like these.
😯 Make believe I’m a Romney supporter during election season? My Liberal card would be permanently revoked. Any other time, I’d probably get a stern warning. 😉
October 1st, 2012 at 2:28 AM
Every once in a while a story comes out that still gives you faith in the human race. That part about the community coming out in support of Ms. Kropp is one of them.
October 2nd, 2012 at 7:29 PM
I loved that!! The positive outcome made the story a lot more palatable.
October 1st, 2012 at 3:54 AM
When I look at the people supporting him it strikes me that most of them seem to want to bully the country into accepting their worldview. They certainly don’t have any persuasive argument working for them, hence they view lying and cheating to get their way and win elections as a legitimate exercise. Or as Romney would put it, “Lying for the Lord,” with Romney as the Lord of his followers.
October 2nd, 2012 at 7:30 PM
So true. The cheating part really burns my biscuits – voter ID laws. 😡
October 1st, 2012 at 6:54 AM
Hey…you’re back to blogging….wonderful!
October 2nd, 2012 at 7:30 PM
Thanks Hansi! I had to resurface for the hell that is election season.
October 1st, 2012 at 11:23 AM
As a group, teens are the cruelest people. Good news, they grow up … bad news is that they are replaced by the next batch.
Meanwhile, given that you are known for your debate reporting, I will have a debate post next (posted tonight).
October 2nd, 2012 at 7:31 PM
Perfect assessment with good news/bad news.
I will definitely read it. They’re really hyping up this debate.