Last week I was on the tram when a group of teenage boys came and sat near me. Their language was atrocious and they kept calling each other “gay.” So, knowing that their behavior at 13 was indicative of how they would be for their entire lives, I took their pictures, followed them home, and got their full names and addresses.
This way, when they try to get jobs or win awards or something, I can discredit them and point out that when they were young teens they were dumb and more interested in being shocking than anything else.
Where’s my community leadership badge?
There’s actually nothing different, in practical terms, from this and what USA today did with Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray. Their headline, “Kyler Murray apologizes for homophobic tweets that resurfaced after he won Heisman Trophy.”
They resurfaced because the media resurfaced them. Frankly, I think this tweet response from Popehat is the best response.
to keep reading, click here: Why I Had to Ruin the Lives of Four Teenagers on a Tram
Content put out there on the Internet last forever. People — including young people — need to learn this. If earlier, stupid, comments no longer represent their current thinking, they can — and should — say so, and apologize if appropriate. Kevin Hart didn’t have to step down from hosting the Oscars; he chose to, after being given the choice of apologizing or being replaced. And his comments — one being that if he discovered his son playing with his daughter’s dollhouse, he would break it over the son’s head and call him “gay” — were extreme and problematic. I’m not faulting Hart for stepping down; there likely would have been protests at the ceremony had he not. However, his initial defensiveness and reluctance to apologize were puzzling.
Actually, people shouldn’t dig through the trash, only when someone has achieved something. It’s funny how the same people that go and dig things up would never want the same thing done to them whether it’s on the internet or not. You clearly didn’t go searching for this before he won an award, you clearly weren’t offended prior to this achievement so no need to be now… have several seats. NOT TO MENTION THE FACT that K Hart had previously apologized for the ONE instance during his stand up comedy routine long before he was asked to host the Oscars… funny how the vigilante trolls forgot to mention that
SJW= vigilante trolls. Only the most Puritanic should be able to be employed, or hold public office. That’s why I vote a straight (no offense meant) Micky Mouse write-in ballot.
How many times does one need to apologize? Who sets the benchmark?
Clearly, Grannybunny is pretty sure she is up for the task.
Certainly, I am up to the task of deciding, for myself alone, whether someone has appropriately apologized, just as you are — equally — up to the task of making the same decision for yourself.
You can decide for yourself alone whether the apology that someone else made for a joke he said years ago about other people who also aren’t you who also isn’t you is up to snuff. No doubt. I’d rather see your rules in writing for it though, so it’s not done on a case-by basis.
Either own it or apologize. If apologizing, it should be a statement that shows regret and acknowledges the wrong, and acknowledges those hurt. That doesn’t mean an anemic “I’m sorry if my words were hurtful”. It means saying “ I was wrong to use those words, and in my ignorance I did damage to person/community”
How many times do you have to apologize? The minimum is once -assuming the apology is solid and shows real regret. And you don’t get to soft soap it with “it was the culture of the times” or “other people said/did worse”
BRAVO!!!
Nicely done! I don’t think their is enough understanding of young people and the mistakes that come from poor decision making skills.
But again, given the stupidity and need to be popular of the crowd of our young non-adult (under 18) children, how do we also pass the message to them to understand that words hurt and cause negative reactions. Just like we try to teach that using physical force is wrong, so also the lessons about being cruel with words. All actions (verbal and physical) have consequences and one has to be responsible for their actions. Social Media doesn’t help because it makes it worse and it is permanently stuck on the internet.
Amen!
It’s a start. Better would be to similarly publicly name, shame, and disemploy the people doing the digging, because while “offenses” such as Kevin Hart’s are never any danger to others, his opponents’ busybodyism is.
I doubt if the “busybodyism” of Hart’s opponents is more of a danger to Hart’s Son that Hart’s threat to break a dollhouse over the Son’s head and call him “gay.” But, I might be wrong.
Kevin Hart was a full grown adult with a son. He threatened physical violence against his son if his son (a young child) did anything remotely appearing to be homosexual behavior. He made this threat very publicly. In fact, he made this threat as part of a comedy routine – he thought it was funny. When called on his comments, he was given the chance to apologize and still host the Oscars. He decided not to apologize and not to host the Oscars. To equate what Kevin Hart said with the immature tweet of a teenager is ridiculous.
Actually, in your analogy, you are not taking the role of USA Today. USA Today reported on a statement released to the press by Kyler. USA Today did not investigate old tweets or ‘dig up’ the dirt. That was done by individuals, not news reporters. So in your analogy you would be the busybody/internet troll. Your analogy is not a call for better rules in journalism – it is really just a complaint about trolls. False outrage over USA Today, when all they did was report on a state,ent to the press that Kyler made.
I will willingly stipulate that the way these controversies usually roll out is usually not helpful, and that getting people to engage in dialog would be better (although, it’s generally easier to have that dialog when the the person who made the offending tweets or whatever makes an honest effort to engage in one).
Are you willing to at least consider that these kinds of “jokes” have a real and negative impact on actual human beings? Or do I need to post the data on suicide rates for LGBTQ youth? Or the data on homelessness among LGBTQ youth who’ve been thrown out of the house by their parents? (with or without having dollhouses broken over their heads) Or the data on bullying? Violence?
Also, can someone explain to me how having to acknowledge that you said something stupid and apologize for it = “ruining someone’s life”?
Are you seriously going to do discredit those young boys??? Why? Keep in mind I DO NOT condone the vile language and atrocious behavior. As an adult, I don’t believe in shaming children (teenagers), I try to educate. I’ve been in situations where those teens were at a public transportation area and were very loud, rude, obnoxious and once was even was held up for money. Teens are walking hormonal time bombs and do all kinds of stupid stuff to either fit in or break from issues/problems they’re experiencing in their own lives. Never have I followed teens (stalked them), gather information about them to use against them in the future when they’re adults so I can shame them about their behavior when they were teens. Your behavior sounds like harassment to me, you are coming off no different then them but the only difference is you’re a full-fledged adult and they’re not. You should know better. Instead of frowning upon them, I’ve said something to them about their language and behavior. Have done it in a respectful way, it made them think and they eventually stopped what they were doing. Well, except for the one who once held me up for money, but the police handled that hahahahaha.
Okay, I just read the link on inc. and found that you did not follow them and did exactly what I would have done and said something to those teens Whew! You had me going. I apologize regarding my response to you. You fooled me, though hahahahah.