# There's no Pit thread on the Romney bullying story yet, so . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 11, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582 "2012-05-11T02:30:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/181 "2012-05-11T18:22:05Z")
Yay! I’m an unwashed mass! ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/182 "2012-05-11T18:23:00Z")
I swear I washed my mass in the shower this morning though. Hmm. Do I still count? ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/183 "2012-05-11T18:23:09Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Yeah, forty-seven years ago… What your logic doesn’t consider is that a reduced level of social disapproval doesn’t create the internal motivation or psychological framework for this type of behavior, it merely allows the actions to exist more openly. Basically it just means that it was easier to identify the people with this type of tendency back then. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/184 "2012-05-11T18:25:03Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > This from a guy who, in an early post of his, is talking about how he may have to give his daughter up to foster care because him and his wife may be too incompetent to be legal guardians of a child. > > I’ll give the appropriate weight to anything someone like you has to say. Our relationship is doing much better now; thank you for asking. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/185 "2012-05-11T18:26:55Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > It’s exhausting talking to someone as stupid as you. And not to beat a dead horse but if you really think IQ tests are worth a damn you’re way off base. Even your fellow leftists will probably agree with me on that. > > Anyway, you have blatantly misstated my position. I said that bullying as a child has nothing to do with what kind of man you’ll be because you can continue to evolve and grow. > > Then I said that it doesn’t matter that there is “some chance” that people who bullied at 14 will still bully at 32, and that it was obvious. That isn’t the same as me saying bullying as a child has anything to do with bullying as an adult–although I actually said nothing along those lines, I just said bullying as a child has nothing to do with what type of man you’ll be. > > Once you have fully mature you are going to make decisions and be the type of person that you’re going to be. Some sweet kids turn into assholes, some assholes turn into good men. Your study just shows, as I said, something that is obvious. Take 100 kids at age 14, there is a % chance that some of them will be bullies. Take those same 100 kids when they are 32 year old adults, there is some chance that a % of them will be bullies. There is also some chance that a percentage of the bullies @ 32 will have been in the bully group at 14. All that shows is some people who are bullies as children stay bullies their entire lives, but it doesn’t actually do anything to advance the notion that bullying as a child is indicative of what type of adult you will be, only that some portion of childhood bullies become adult bullies–something that, based on simple mathematics (% of y, % of x, and % of y/x overlap) and probability should be obvious to anyone. Ok, so if I can recap your post: Some people that bully as a teenager are bullies their entire life. Also, just because I pick on you for missing question #47 on the IQ test, that doesn’t say one way or another what I think of IQ tests. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/186 "2012-05-11T18:29:42Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Ok, so if I can recap your post: > Some people that bully as a teenager are bullies their entire life. Right, and once you make it to junior high you can read about correlation vs. causation and you’ll be onto the fringes of understanding what I’m talking about. Some people who do volunteer work, give time to charity, and work with elderly people as teenagers grow up to be murders and rapists. What does that say about those things? Some people who don’t bully others as children become bullies as adults. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/187 "2012-05-11T18:29:44Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > There’s no one that could possibly know every position of every Presidential candidate, especially since they change continuously. Some Presidential candidates change their positions more frequently than others. > [@elucidator](#): > > I’ll simply be sitting, doing something, or doing nothing much at all, and wham! a regret spasm, a shame flashback. How could I possibly have done such a rotten thing? And I’m talking about stuff decades gone, done to people who, for all I know, have been taking the dirt nap for years. Things I have apologized for, atoned for, made right as best I could. The same thing happens to me. I haven’t apologized to most of these folks but I remember each incident of cruelty pretty vividly. Sometimes they come in waves and I am haunted by these memories for days. > [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > I’ve never actually said that, and if you had read at least one of the linked threads I submitted you’d see that I explain that in those threads as well. > > I believe homosexuality (and especially GID–which is still in the DSM-IV) is a mental illness, I do not believe it should disqualify you from voting. you think homosexuals = mentally illness you also think mentally ill should not be able to vote Doesn’t the transitive property apply here? Doesn’t this mean that you think gay people shouldn’t be able to vote? > [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > If we have evidence Romney was bullying people at age 32 or age 52 or age 62 that would be relevant, in my mind, to assessing the character of Romney the man. It doesn’t matter that there is some “chance” that someone who bullied people at age 14 will still be bullying people as an adult, that’s almost “obvious” there is no reason to even do a study like that. It reinforces a pattern of behaviour. > [@](#): > > Obamacare is a bad idea and it was a bad idea when the Republicans proposed something similar in the 90s or when Mitt organized something similar in Massachusetts–at least it is without proper cost controls, which Obamacare lacks. If the individual mandate gets struck down it’ll be even worse. I agree that Obamacare sucks especially compared to single payer (and it seems like you might agree) but the Republicans current plan seems to be tort reform. > [@](#): > > The reason health care is a looming nightmare is because of out of control increases in cost, far and away higher than the inflation rate. Obama approached it as though the number one problem with health care is lack of coverage for the uninsured, that’s a problem but not the real root problem. The out of control costs have a lot to do with why health care has become so unaffordable, and without a real system to control those costs Obama has just put a huge burden on the American people for years to come. Google Baumol’s disease. Its an economic term so I have some hope that you will either google it or already be familiar with it. We will never stop the growth rate in health care costs unless we are willing to see old people die for lack of money. We aren’t there yet. Both sides of aisle are still saying pro-medicare things. The Democrats say pro-medicare things and have no idea how to pay for it while the Republicans say pro-medicare things and they aren’t really pro-medicare. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/188 "2012-05-11T18:34:56Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > you think homosexuals = mentally illness > you also think mentally ill should not be able to vote I don’t believe I’ve said the second part, that the mentally ill should be unable to vote. I’ve said that in some States that is the case, but I don’t believe just a mental illness diagnosis should prohibit you from voting. If I’ve said or typed something that seems to say the mentally ill should not vote, then that was not my intention or a reflection of my actual beliefs. Someone who is committed to a psychiatric in-patient facility, I’m comfortable with them being unable to vote, but if they aren’t committed and are able to function in society I am fine with them voting. > [@](#): > > I agree that Obamacare sucks especially compared to single payer (and it seems like you might agree) but the Republicans current plan seems to be tort reform. Single payer is unambiguously better than the bastard-hybrid system we have. > [@](#): > > Google Baumol’s disease. Its an economic term so I have some hope that you will either google it or already be familiar with it. I’d have to google it which I can’t do right now, but my contention is that America has annual year-over-year health cost increases that outstrip its peer nations. There is excessive batteries of tests done in America and it shows little benefit, we test more than European countries and buy way more testing machines (many cost more than $1m/each) but our society’s standard of living and life expectancy is worse than many European countries. All countries are guilty of, in my opinion, “going too far at the end.” If an 80+ year old man gets a terminal illness I think it is intrinsically unjust to spend $800,000 of society’s money to keep him alive for 7 months instead of 3. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/189 "2012-05-11T18:36:29Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > On the SDMB the more leftists who disagree with you the higher the likelihood you are correct in your belief. The conservative persecution complex is the Chinese finger-trap of politics. **Martin** was always a stain, it’s just that in the last few years he’s mellowed out, or at least restricted himself to topics where he sounds more or less reasonable. Shame to hear he still holds those other ugly views, though. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/190 "2012-05-11T18:45:30Z")
\*Are you a boy, or are you a girl? With your long blonde hair, you look like a girl! (Yeah, you look like a girl) Maybe be a boy but (thump!) you look like a girl! Are you a shit, or are you a turd? Brylcreem and Hai Karate, you’re probably a turd (Yeah, you’re probbly a turd!) You may be a boy but (thump) I’m nailing your girl…\* ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/191 "2012-05-11T18:48:49Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Right, and once you make it to junior high you can read about correlation vs. causation and you’ll be onto the fringes of understanding what I’m talking about. > > Some people who do volunteer work, give time to charity, and work with elderly people as teenagers grow up to be murders and rapists. What does that say about those things? I see you missed question #48 also: When studying the psychological patterns found in bullies, is it helpful to examine people that volunteer, yes or no (on this question the IQ testers felt a hint was ok and the hint is “no, the answer is no, do not choose yes if you want to get this question right”) The funny thing is, even with the hint, you missed that one. Note: BOOM! another point for **RaftPeople** ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/192 "2012-05-11T18:51:48Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > I see you missed question #48 also: > When studying the psychological patterns found in bullies, is it helpful to examine people that volunteer, yes or no (on this question the IQ testers felt a hint was ok and the hint is “no, the answer is no, do not choose yes if you want to get this question right”) > > The funny thing is, even with the hint, you missed that one. > Note: BOOM! another point for **RaftPeople** We’re done here, I’ve thoroughly explained myself, you show a deep inability to communicate with me, so I’ll no longer attempt it. Jane Goodall had patience for this, I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/193 "2012-05-11T18:54:50Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > We’re done here, I’ve thoroughly explained myself, you show a deep inability to communicate with me, so I’ll no longer attempt it. Jane Goodall had patience for this, I don’t. You call everyone in this thread an “idiot” over and over and then when I fuck with you, you start crying. You sir, are a pussy. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/194 "2012-05-11T18:56:32Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > We’re done here, I’ve thoroughly explained myself, you show a deep inability to communicate with me, so I’ll no longer attempt it. Jane Goodall had patience for this, I don’t. haha, there it is, the conservative outrage quit. I figured that would come eventually. Way to insinuate that we’re all apes too by the way. I guess after you use the terms idiot, stupid, and moron so many times, they start to lose the sting due to overuse, so you have to move on to calling us lesser primates instead. lol ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/195 "2012-05-11T18:59:45Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > haha, there it is, the conservative outrage quit. I figured that would come eventually. > > Way to insinuate that we’re all apes too by the way. I guess after you use the terms idiot, stupid, and moron so many times, they start to lose the sting due to overuse, so you have to move on to calling us lesser primates instead. > > lol No outrage quit, I just informed one particular person who failed to accurately interpret a number of my posts I was done with him personally. You haven’t actually contributed anything to this thread other than pussy-bleeding every few posts about how I’m calling everyone stupid and it makes me unreasonable, though–so there’s little reason to respond to anything you say, either. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/196 "2012-05-11T19:01:31Z")
This is pretty much a consistent story with Romney and in line with his work at Bain and his liking to be able to fire people. Also his failure to remember this successful assault and battery is consistent with his failure to remember anything that he doesn’t want to address. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/197 "2012-05-11T19:03:11Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > No outrage quit, I just informed one particular person who failed to accurately interpret a number of my posts I was done with him personally. You haven’t actually contributed anything to this thread other than pussy-bleeding every few posts about how I’m calling everyone stupid and it makes me unreasonable, though–so there’s little reason to respond to anything you say, either. Constantly calling everyone stupid does make you unreasonable though. Do you think it makes you seem reasonable and persuasive? And “pussy-bleeding”? Really? Good lord. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/198 "2012-05-11T19:04:56Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > I just informed one particular person who failed to accurately interpret a number of my posts… I think what you meant to post was: “Damn, I would have gotten #48 right if it wasn’t for that crazy hint they threw in there. Probably would have bumped me up to a solid high 80’s type of score.” ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/199 "2012-05-11T19:08:46Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > Constantly calling everyone stupid does make you unreasonable though. Do you think it makes you seem reasonable and persuasive? > > And “pussy-bleeding”? Really? > > Good lord. I get it, you think I’m unreasonable and abrasive, and do not like the style of posting I’ve adopted in this thread. But does that excuse just repeating it over and over again? I got it the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582/200 "2012-05-11T19:16:55Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Anyone who cares about this is mind-numbingly stupid. He’s 65+ years old, this happened in the 1960s which is so far removed from today where society actually cares about bullying as to be ridiculous. In his era bullying was widely encouraged, not at all discouraged. > > This was longer ago than a good portion of this message board’s posters have been alive, and it was while he was in High School. I’m just not ready to give a shit about what Presidential candidates did in High School (I’ve never much cared about college stories, either)–and I think people who do genuinely care are absolutely stupid. > > I understand, and hope, that most of the SDMB liberal lunatics on this forum who care about this are just doing it to bitch about Romney, not because they are stupid enough to actually think this sort of High School behavior should have anything to do with Presidential elections. Very well stated. This whole story is a tempest in a teapot, but it’s got the liberals wanking all over the place because they think it has some kind of meaning or value. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-no-pit-thread-on-the-romney-bullying-story-yet-so/621582.md?page=11)