Were you a bully in High School?

[PoliticalTiger]

I was never a bully in high school. I was bit of a prankster, more of a class clown, and I never did anything as horrible as Romney did, but there were two mean things I did that stand out to me all these years later, things I never forgot and things I don't laugh about when talking about.

The thing I feel the worst about happened in Spanish class. There was this kid who went to our school who was an albino. I don't remember his name, not even sure if I knew it back then. He must have been a good student because he worked in the principal's office and he would deliver messages/paperwork from the principal's office to the teacher's classes. He'd walk in, hand the teacher some papers, and walk out.

One day, in Spanish class, while we were all studying or taking a test, I don't remember but the class was quiet, he walked in and handed the teacher some papers and as he was walking out, a friend nudged me and I said out loud enough for him and the rest of the class to hear, something like "HEY ALBINO!." I felt terrible the minute those words left my mouth. I didn't get in trouble because the teacher didn't hear me, she was really old, but I know he did, as did everyone else. He kept walking and just walked out.

But I felt really terrible. I wasn't mature enough back then to apologize to him, and he probably didn't even know it was me, but almost 35 years later, I still feel terrible, and remember it like it was yesterday.

The other thing I did that I have felt guilty about was I used to pick on this girl named Susan Johnson. She wasn't the prettiest girl in class and I came up with a nickname for her that stuck, I started calling her "Face Johnson." So everybody started calling her that, which must of hurt her feelings. She had long, blond hair and sat in front of me in class, and I remember I'd sometimes do childish things like stick pieces of paper or paperclips in her hair and things like that. Despite all that, we remained friends.

Well, a few years ago we reconnected through Facebook. She actually sent me a friend request, which I accepted. The first thing I did was send he a message apologizing for being such a jerk in high school. She wrote back saying she took my 'abuse' because she had a huge crush on me, which I had no idea. But at least that story has a happy ending because I was able to apologize and she forgave me.

The reason I bring this up is because what I did, in the grand scheme of things, was not so bad, but I remember them, and still feel bad about them. As kids, I'm sure all of us did mean things to other kids, but we remember them and if we have a conscience, we feel bad.

What Romney did was not just mean, it was extremely cruel, it was abusive, it was beyond normal behavior, and it's something any normal person would remember doing whether it was 30 years ago or 60 years ago. Romney claiming not to remember the incident is a lie! His lack of empathy is even worse! I truly believe the man is a sociopath. From committing animal abuse to laughing about putting people out of work, this man has no remorse at all. He's not just someone who is out of touch with the mainstream because he's so privileged, he has a psychiatric disorder that, if elected to president, would make him the most dangerous man in the world.

[There Is No Spoon]

I may have giggled at what some other clown was doing, that is unless I thought they were being excessively cruel, at which point I'd probably tell them to stop or go to the aid of the person being mocked.

In 5th grade I stuck up for a geeky kid who was being bullied by some jackass who believed that pro-wrestling was real (I taunted him unmercifully about how I met Chief Jay Strongbow (his idol) in my gym and how he was overweight and flabby.) That felt good. I later met up with him at high level public college prep school - guess I was a geek too

In that geeky high school, I had some issues with people attempting to bully me. Sadly for them, I was from a tough neighborhood and pummeled the smaller one and was able to "control" the big ones (yeah, I had 3 people from one click after me.)

Guess what I'm saying is I've always had a dominate conscience, incapable of bullying anybody.

[PoliticalTiger]

(05-11-2012 07:10 PM)There Is No Spoon Wrote:  I may have giggled at what some other clown was doing, that is unless I thought they were being excessively cruel, at which point I'd probably tell them to stop or go to the aid of the person being mocked.

In 5th grade I stuck up for a geeky kid who was being bullied by some jackass who believed that pro-wrestling was real (I taunted him unmercifully about how I met Chief Jay Strongbow (his idol) in my gym and how he was overweight and flabby.) That felt good. I later met up with him at high level public college prep school - guess I was a geek too

In that geeky high school, I had some issues with people attempting to bully me. Sadly for them, I was from a tough neighborhood and pummeled the smaller one and was able to "control" the big ones (yeah, I had 3 people from one click after me.)

Guess what I'm saying is I've always had a dominate conscience, incapable of bullying anybody.

That's what makes you, and most of us, different from Romney - having a conscience! And that's what scares me about Romney. If he gets in office, and especially if he ends up with a Republican controlled Congress, because none of those MF's have a conscience either, the damage they can do to the most vulnerable of society - the sick, the poor, the elderly - I shudder to think about it!

And I think that's why we like Obama so much, because he has a conscience! He wants to do right for those who need it the most, whereas Romney could not care less about who he hurts.

[Peacetrain]

No..but I could give a look that would freeze a persons blood.. I went to 4 different high-schools, because of my fathers job transfers.. so I was always the new kid.. and even though I am female.. one of the schools I went to.. Schurz in Chicago at that time.. (don't even know if the school still stands) was pretty tough territory.. I learned quickly to let people stay pretty uncertain about who I was and what I was capable of.. I was never messed with, because who knew what would come back at them..

If you were 13 and screwed up.. you were 13.. If you were 18 and doing the stuff that Romney did to hurt other people.. (he was not hurting himself remember)..There is a whole world of difference PT between being a jackass as you admit you were.. and leading a group of grown men.. to terrorize someone and physically attack them.

Good on you for reaching to that girl.. You have a conscience and you are a whole human being..

[Velleity]

(05-12-2012 07:22 AM)Peacetrain Wrote:  No..but I could give a look that would freeze a persons blood.. I went to 4 different high-schools, because of my fathers job transfers.. so I was always the new kid.. and even though I am female.. one of the schools I went to.. Schurz in Chicago at that time.. (don't even know if the school still stands) was pretty tough territory.. I learned quickly to let people stay pretty uncertain about who I was and what I was capable of.. I was never messed with, because who knew what would come back at them..

If you were 13 and screwed up.. you were 13.. If you were 18 and doing the stuff that Romney did to hurt other people.. (he was not hurting himself remember)..There is a whole world of difference PT between being a jackass as you admit you were.. and leading a group of grown men.. to terrorize someone and physically attack them.

Good on you for reaching to that girl.. You have a conscience and you are a whole human being..

Schurz is still there. It's a landmark. Who was the architect? Louis Sullivan or something like that?

I went to Mather. It was built to last 20 years in order to cater to the bubble of the baby boom. It's still there too, about 35 years beyond its expected life and still going.

I moved out to the burbs and my kids go to the public schools out here. I can't believe how much better these schools are but even if there doesn't seem to be the physical bullying there is very much a mental thing especially among the girls, who seem to be absolutely brutal at times.

I don't recall bullying anyone in high school. If I did it wasn't conscious. I did some taunting in grade school but came to the realization between 2nd and 3rd grade that it was wrong. I recall it just dawning on me that it was wrong.

So I think Romney's actions, at that age, are at least a head scratcher and certainly needs to be considered along with everything else we know about him, including the way he's reacted to this information. I think his reaction has been atrocious. As the talking heads are saying, he could simply say he was young and stupid the way Bush did. But he giggles and says he doesn't recall?

Not good.

[Peacetrain]

[/quote]

Schurz is still there. It's a landmark. Who was the architect? Louis Sullivan or something like that?

I went to Mather. It was built to last 20 years in order to cater to the bubble of the baby boom. It's still there too, about 35 years beyond its expected life and still going.

I moved out to the burbs and my kids go to the public schools out here. I can't believe how much better these schools are but even if there doesn't seem to be the physical bullying there is very much a mental thing especially among the girls, who seem to be absolutely brutal at times.

I don't recall bullying anyone in high school. If I did it wasn't conscious. I did some taunting in grade school but came to the realization between 2nd and 3rd grade that it was wrong. I recall it just dawning on me that it was wrong.

So I think Romney's actions, at that age, are at least a head scratcher and certainly needs to be considered along with everything else we know about him, including the way he's reacted to this information. I think his reaction has been atrocious. As the talking heads are saying, he could simply say he was young and stupid the way Bush did. But he giggles and says he doesn't recall?

Not good.
[/quote]

Oh my GOD that school is still standing.. I am shocked.. The whole top floor was condemned when I was there in '63..

[jaxx]

I don't think I ever bullied someone. I'm more the talk to everyone and didn't give a rap where they came from.

[KonaKane]

I was the art kid, 90% of the time hanging out in the music room or art studio. The few of us there were at the time, were spending much of our attention avoiding the jocks who were always taking opportunites to beat on us either during or after class.

It was a different era and circumstance, the mid to late 70s. I was aware of two students who were gay, one a boy in the choir and the other a girl on the field hockey team. Strangely enough they almost never got bullied or even teased. The girl ended up committing suicide in her junior year. You stood at a much higher risk of being bullied if you were an artist, musician or intellectual, then.

[janedrake]

I totally agree with your assessment of Romney, Political Tiger - similar thoughts had crossed my mind, and while I was definitely never a bully, I do still have keen regrets over incidents of ugly behavior in my past. I've never seen a photo of Romney where it looks like anyone is home behind those eyes -- he's just hollow -- there's not a shred of connection to humanity to be seen:

[Treestar]

I never bullied anyone and was on the receiving end of some minor bullying.

I agree that Mitt would remember doing this - the claim to forgetting it just doesn't ring true. Shame on the Republicans for running this type of person for President. Maybe that's all they have.

Goes to show the Republican mind set. They can't stand someone being different. Having the "wrong" hair is enough for them to force the person into their way.

[sandnsea]

I believe some of the bullies in high school, jocks mostly, who could have done so much bullying they could forget an incident or two. I think you're either in the clique that bullies, are on the receving end. We didn't have quite as much "mean girls" stuff as my daughter did when she was in school, it was absolutely ridiculous. They lived to get someone to say something about someone else so they could start a fight, this town thrives on drama like none I've ever seen. I don't think it ever got to the point of a pack of girls targeting others for bullying, just the typical who's in/who's out crap that seems sooo important at the time. Definitely went on when I was in school too, sometimes I was the target and sometimes I was part of those who felt betrayed and wanted revenge.

I went to school in California and "holding hippies down and cutting their hair" was something I had never heard of. I moved to Oregon in 11th grade and it was a very very common threat, I believe it probably happened a time or two. From Redding north, it gets much more rednecky, and then going east from the northwest, it gets worse still. This stuff Mitt said and did doesn't surprise me at all.

Yesterday I read an article about a teacher who was putting those little white dog cones on her high school students as punishment. As a parent who has made A LOT of mistakes, I recognize that kind of humiliation "technique" as a form of bullying. While I would never in a million years do some of the things I read about, I've come to realize that alot of "techniques" that rely on humiliation or authoritarianism are nothing more than bullying your kid when you can't make reason and patience work. The bully culture calls it old-fashioned discipline. We're lucky that the majority of people tolerate a lot before they crack. I remember being at Disneyworld and watching people from other countries deal with their kids. WAY different than in the US. It seemed like most of the parents didn't even consider the idea of snapping their fingers and children obeying as a desirable outcome. One couple going home to France was literally having a conversation with their 14, or so, daughter about boarding the plane. She did not want to go. They discussed the situation calmly and I imagine she eventually went with them, what else was she going to do. Most American parents would have resorted to, well, bullying.

[OptimistesMaddie]

everyone.

I never understood being cruel to others and still don't.

[SeattleGirl]

When I was in high school, I was a special aide to one of the "special ed" students who were being mainstreamed into the regular classrooms. This girl was blind, and I don't think her family took very good care of her. I had seen her siblings and they were always dressed better than her.

Anyway, my job was to sit with her in our classes (we had matching schedules) and assist her with things she might need.

I remember one day, I took her to the bathroom, and while she was in the stall, she suddenly let out a yelp and started crying. I got her to open the stall door for me, as I couldn't imagine what had happened. Well, turns out, she started her period (it was her very first one) and she could tell there was something different "down there". I helped her clean up as best I could and then took her to the nurse's office.

Another time, we were at lunch, and some of the jocks -- who were usually okay in how they treated me -- started making faces at this girl and making fun of her silently because they knew she couldn't see. I gave them the dirtiest look I could conjure up and told them they were not welcome to keep sitting at the table. They did get up and leave, and while I wasn't around this girl all the time, I never saw them do that kind of thing again when, at least when I was in her presence.

We had our share of kids who would make fun of others as these guys did, girls who would whisper behind their hands and point at one of the less popular kid, that kind of thing, and it always made me angry to see that. It still does.

[jaxx]

(05-12-2012 08:45 PM)SeattleGirl Wrote:  When I was in high school, I was a special aide to one of the "special ed" students who were being mainstreamed into the regular classrooms. This girl was blind, and I don't think her family took very good care of her. I had seen her siblings and they were always dressed better than her.

Anyway, my job was to sit with her in our classes (we had matching schedules) and assist her with things she might need.

I remember one day, I took her to the bathroom, and while she was in the stall, she suddenly let out a yelp and started crying. I got her to open the stall door for me, as I couldn't imagine what had happened. Well, turns out, she started her period (it was her very first one) and she could tell there was something different "down there". I helped her clean up as best I could and then took her to the nurse's office.

Another time, we were at lunch, and some of the jocks -- who were usually okay in how they treated me -- started making faces at this girl and making fun of her silently because they knew she couldn't see. I gave them the dirtiest look I could conjure up and told them they were not welcome to keep sitting at the table. They did get up and leave, and while I wasn't around this girl all the time, I never saw them do that kind of thing again when, at least when I was in her presence.

We had our share of kids who would make fun of others as these guys did, girls who would whisper behind their hands and point at one of the less popular kid, that kind of thing, and it always made me angry to see that. It still does.

I bet the girl remembers you to this day.

[KonaKane]

SG I'll bet you were always remembered by her, and made a huge difference in her life. Thanks for that story, it brought a tear to my eye.

[MilesColtrane]

... a "band fag" who made average grades, but got the highest SAT score in my class. (and only a very few knew I was a dope smoker.)