An F.O.B. (Friend of the Blog) asked the question, "Was this considered normal behavior in 1965?"
Now, this particular F.O.B. was one of The Blog's favorite school teachers during Junior High and High School. The Blog imagines (or maybe, more accurately, hypothesizes,) that this teacher was a long haired, bearded, raging hippy in 1965, when Willard was wearing a tie and carrying a briefcase to school. Because, a decade later, he was a long haired, bearded hippy! And, Damn! I loved that guy!
So, The Blog has to believe that this F.O.B. was playing "Devil's Advocate" when he asked the question.
Here is The Blog's response....
It probably was "normal" behavior in 1965. Especially in a private boarding school. The fact is that bullying has only begun to be taken seriously in the last decade or so. The "present day issue" is this...
When Romney was confronted with this story this morning, he spent a good part of the day pretending that he didn't remember it. (Or, maybe, keeping with the notion that Mittens is actually a sociopath, so no, he really doesn't remember humiliating and physically assaulting a fellow student who was different than he and his friends. An idea that seems to fit, considering Willard's afternoon "apology.") The other participants remember it well, as did, reportedly, the victim (who is no longer alive.)
Later this afternoon Romney issued a statement where it becomes apparent that he may remember the incident,(or not) but writes it off as a "prank." (See the above link.)
Romney states, “As to pranks that were played back then, I don’t remember them all, but again, high school days, if I did stupid things, why, I’m afraid I’ve got to say sorry for it,”
Too many "pranks" to remember them all. And "if" he did stupid things, he is "afraid [he] has to say sorry for it."
Not, "I'm sorry for the stupid things I did. I was a real asshole when I was young."
No, Mittens is sorry if someone was offended by his "pranks."
Thus, the title of this post, "The Sociopath and the Art of the False Apology."
To continue my response to the F.O.B. ...
In school days, and sometimes after, a "prankster" is really just a bully. And being a bully is not okay. Not now or then! Regardless of cultural norms.
The Mittster goes on to say that it never occurred to him that the victim of his "prank" might be a homosexual.
And, in fairness to Willard, the concept of homosexuality was kind of alien to kids in the midwest in those days. In any specific way, at least.
But, here is something that The Blog, who grew up in the midwest in those very days, knows first hand.
If you couldn't run fast. If you were bad at kickball. If you were better at art class than gym. If you got good grades in academic subjects, liked to read and preferred the company of girls rather than boys, or wore your hair long. There was a name for you.
"Sissy."
And, as you progressed from elementary school into Junior High and High School, "Fag," "Queer" and yes, "Homo" were added to the list.
It was just that in the '60s and '70s, midwestern kids had no idea what those terms meant.
Not a clue!
In the Year of Our Lord, 1978, "We Will Rock You!" and "We Are the Champions" were the anthems of the most macho guys on the football team.
Sung by Freddie Mercury.
Irony much?
Not long ago, a classmate of The Blog informed him that The Blog's "Bully Zero," the alpha bully who first hung the term "sissy" on him in the second grade and presided over regular beatings of Your Uncle PC, for over a decade, came out about a year after he graduated from college.
That's right. The asshole who led the bullying of your favorite blogger was, in fact, a "Queer, Sissy, Homo, Fag," the whole time that he and his minions were bloodying The Young Blog's nose.
How cliché is that?
The Blog hopes that he, (who I will call Gary B. because, well, that is his name,) has dedicated his life to teaching kids about tolerance. If he has, then The Blog can find it in himself to forgive him.
If he is still a bullying prick... Well... then he can go fuck himself.
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