As some of you heard, last week the Washington Post reported a story about presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and his participation in an incident that many are calling "bullying." Taking place in 1965 while a student at Cranbrook School, Romney, along with a group of friends, held down fellow classmate, John Lauber, and cut off his hair with a pair of scissors.
"He can't look like that. That's wrong. Just look at him!" an incensed Romney told Matthew Friedemann, his close friend in the Stevens Hall dorm, according to Friedemann's recollection. Mitt, the teenage son of Michigan Gov. George Romney, kept complaining about Lauber's look, Friedemann recalled.A few days later, Friedemann entered Stevens Hall off the school's collegiate quad to find Romney marching out of his own room ahead of a prep school posse shouting about their plan to cut Lauber's hair. Friedemann followed them to a nearby room where they came upon Lauber, tackled him and pinned him to the ground. As Lauber, his eyes filling with tears, screamed for help, Romney repeatedly clipped his hair with a pair of scissors.
The incident was recalled similarly by five students, who gave their accounts independently of one another. Four of them -- Friedemann, now a dentist; Phillip Maxwell, a lawyer; Thomas Buford, a retired prosecutor; and David Seed, a retired principal -- spoke on the record. Another former student who witnessed the incident asked not to be identified. The men have differing political affiliations, although they mostly lean Democratic. Buford volunteered for Barack Obama's campaign in 2008. Seed, a registered independent, has served as a Republican county chairman in Michigan. All of them said that politics in no way colored their recollections.
As one can imagine the punditry from all sides has been cray-cray. Quick to get this one under control, I'm sure, Romney responded to the story during a live radio interview with Fox News personality Brian Kilmeade:
Back in high school, I did some dumb things, and if anybody was hurt by that or offended, obviously I apologize for that. I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks during high school, and some might have gone too far, and for that I apologize.
First of all, for those who think that going after his high school behavior isn't fair game, I beg to differ. I think that if one is running for President of the United States, everything is fair game. Yes, 45 years ago is a long time, but couple this incident with the whole dog on the roof of the car one, and I am developing an image of person who sees other lives in a very different way than I do, one where the pain and suffering of another living creature has no impact.
One issue that I have with the whole mess is that Romney has yet to actually admit to being part of the incident, instead answering with a vague "some [pranks] may have gone too far" category that only leaves me to wonder if there were so many so-called "pranks" that he cannot keep them all straight. While there is no way the Republican party will get my vote in this year's election, I think it would have gone a long way for him in gaining the support of some independents and libertarians to own up to being part of the incident; after all, few are denying that he was part of it.
Which leads me to my second concern. For many, there seems to be a "boys will be boys" or "we all did stupid stuff when we were kids" attitude to excuse Romney's actions. Now, I admit, as the father of three girls, I am no expert on raising boys. At the same time, I was a boy once myself and I have seen many gender behaviors played out on the playground and at school. We could argue the reasons why some boys and girls fulfill traditional male or female expectations, but I would still say that even this reality, combined with the poor choices of youth, in no way excuses the terror that must have been inflicted on his classmate. I just do not think this is the norm for anyone, boy or girl.
Yes, I was a boy. I did stupid, youthful "boys-will-be-boys" things -- drinking, smoking and blowing up dog poop with firecrackers, just to name a few* -- but never did I lead a group of boys to hold another boy down against his will and cut off his hair. To see what must have only been terror in the eyes of another human and continue the act is inexcusable and without ever claiming responsibility or repentance, gives us a window into his personhood and soul.
So what do you think? Is it fair to raise these issues from his past? And if it is true, does it matter? Or is this a liberal hack job from the WP and the Obama campaign? Here is a good clip from ABC News:
* I am obviously never running for president ;-)
If you would like to comment, I am more apt to reciprocate over on the originating post on Patheos.com.
Follow Bruce Reyes-Chow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/breyeschow
 |
 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
1. he was clearly the leader of his group who brought the scissors and cut the hair of the student that he saw as weaker and nonconformist. So what now is his approach to power -- and how might Romney deal with people on his "enemies" list?
2. rather than admit that he did it and apologize profusely for his youthful bad judgment, he said he doesn't remember! Who on earth wouldn't remember holding a boy down with a group of friends and cutting off his hair?!! Too much about Romney smacks of a life with power and privilege and avoiding negative personal consequences.
America is a country of incredible diversity, and I for one want a President who appreciates the diversity and will use his (and some day, her) power so that all citizens feel they have someone in the White House who is inclined to be for and not against them. Romney is too elitist and too accustomed to his class privilege to be President of the all the people.
It also means he didn't have very effective parents as most people know not to cut off someone's hair; someone paid money to have their hair done.
Character matters...at least that is what conservatives love to say when they are using it as a sledgehammer to beat up everyone else.
Well if it matters for liberals, then it also matters for conservatives.
...and leading what amounts to misdemeanor assualt on someone simply because the guy didn't conform to Romney's idea of what a student at his school should look like...and walking a blind person into a door...
...shows a lack of character. A mean streak that expresses itself by deliberately seeking out and victimizing the vulnerable. A streak of authoritarian aggression.
But people change as the grow up and grow older. I would have far more respect for Romney if he had handled the situation like Bush did his DUI arrest. (I did it. I got caught. I'm not proud of it...I learned from it and became a better person.)
However---as always it seems---Romney didn't do that. What he did is give his usual nervous laugh whenever he's not in control of a situation, and followed it with a mealy-mouthed non-apology. ("I don't believe what I did was wrong, but if anyone was offended by it, I apologize....)
Character either matters...or it doesn't.
...and Romney isn't showing very much of it.
And lastly, how do you know that I am desperate to Bash Romney? Just curious how you make that assumption about my needs and wants? I have spoken about Romney being a moderate that I def disagreed with about economic policy, but from his time as Gov, did some good things. I think the Rep Nom race has driven him further right, which he will have to deal with, so again, if you are truly trying to model the easy judgementalism that you accuse other of having, it might be stringer if you did the same.