“What you do, what you post, what you say matters — now, and for a long time to come,” says a New York Times Blog called, “Motherlode: Adventures in Parenting.” This comment was in reference to the Romney bullying allegations from last week.
Mine is not a political blog or post. It is a literary blog and I refuse to take political sides, however, I am a writer who enjoys studying human character and behaviors. The question I am asking myself and my readers is, “should we be responsible for acts we performed as kids?” I hope not because I might have already been locked up for some of my actions. I was a hippie of the 1960s and there was not much I did not experiment with, including at the age of sixteen wearing the American flag as a shawl. It’s unclear how that would fly today, but the only person who I upset then was my father, a European immigrant who cherished and respected his new homeland.
I believe I had done quite well for a rebellious teenage. As a matter of fact, when my own daughter went through adolescent turbulence and eventually went to rehab like many of her friends, we were advised that many rebellious teenagers turned out being quite successful adults. In fact, their rebelliousness and craving to be different can drive their future successes. Today my daughter is a successful artistic entrepreneur, but there were many in her same school who are still struggling. No doubt, character also comes into play. So no theories formulating here, just hypotheses.
So what do we make of these recent allegations of Romney bullying another student in high school, as a result of finding out that he was gay? Does this hurt his campaign or do we chalk up to the hormonal upheavals of adolescence? I am impressed by those who take a stance and who have opinions rather than bowing to the whims of the crowds. On the other hand, there is always a price to pay for voicing one’s opinions, and Obama might be facing that now as he has finally taken a stance in favor of gay marriage. Oops. I do not want to get political. I am independent and hope to remain that way.
Bullying is a form of acting out, a form of aggressive behavior, and often a power play between two or more individuals. Even if an individual is powerful with strong opinions, and wants to become President some day, there is no excuse for acting out. Personally, I believe there is no excuse for any emotional, verbal or physical abuse, but it is the person’s attitude when confronted with their unacceptable behavior which is most important. Denying or not remembering it is not acceptable. But, in summary, where there are kids there will be bullying, whether the kids are from a homogenous or heterogeneous crowd. Kids are just mean to one another, and stuff happens. The question I am still left with is, does this mean we have to always think before we act, write or talk?
I would love to hear your opinions.


Facebook
Plaxo
Shelfari
Twitter



Recent Comments