Bullies on Steroids

            The other day, I overheard one of my students calling another child “stupid.” You’d think he set the room afire the way I jumped into action with unusual forcefulness.

            “Excuse me?” I demanded.  “Did I really hear what I think I heard?”

            “It’s not my fault,” the name caller said.  “He called himself stupid.”

            “I don’t care,” I said.  “That’s still not a word we use around here.”

            “But what’s the big deal?” the name caller went on, “It’s a joke, Mrs. Kafer.  I’m just kidding.”

            “I’m sorry, honey,” I said, “but it’s just not funny to be mean.”

            Just kidding.

            I hear it all the time. And the truth is, sometimes a child really is trying to retract words said impulsively without any malice intended. But there’s still no getting around the fact that “just kidding” doesn’t take the sting out of hurtful words; it just makes the butt of the joke feel thin-skinned and humorless to boot.  And it certainly doesn’t substitute for a real apology.

            Obviously, that’s not a lesson Rush Limbaugh has ever learned.  Or maybe he knew his attack on the Georgetown University student was untrue, crude and vicious, but until his sponsors told him so, he really didn’t care. And even then, like a bully on steroids, he went with the “just kidding” excuse.

            As I’m sure you’ve heard, Rush called Sandra Fluke a “slut” for advocating that the university’s health insurance cover contraception. He went on to say that she’s having so much sex at “taxpayer’s expense,” that she should make sex tapes and post them online so “we can all watch.”

            And then his retraction. Apparently, he didn’t mean to launch “a personal attack" on Fluke.  "My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir.  I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices."

            Mitt Romney echoed Limbaugh, saying he would’ve used a different choice of words.

            Suddenly, Mitt and Rush are editors, mulling over word choices?

            The social conservatives are so sure they’ve got god on their side that they can say or do whatever is needed to advance their agenda. Funny, I always thought “conservative” meant believing in traditional attitudes and values. And if I look back to my youth, I see a tradition of civility and respect in the public arena.   I certainly don’t remember Walter Cronkite ever sounding off like that.

            But maybe they’re looking further back … to the Salem witch trials.