Thread by @3vanSutton

When I saw Gus Walz moved to tears by pride and love for his dad, I knew MAGA would jump to bully him. That's exactly what's happened. It's gross, and I think it's critically important that we talk about bullying clearly. So here's a story 🧵 #DNCConvention2024 #DNC2024CHICAGO

After Doug Emhoff spoke, I posted this. A lot of people loved it. And a lot of the predictable bullies and creeps crawled out from under their rocks too. Most were run of the mill CHUDs, but I've been chewing on this specific reply for a couple days

I did get shoved against lockers a few times in High School. I remember the first time very clearly. It was the first Friday of freshman year, and I was wearing my freshman football jersey as we were supposed to. Number 88, after my fave player at the time @michaelirvin88

Well, it turns out the store where you buy the jerseys did a poor job of tracking the numbers. Varsity players pick first, then JV, then freshmen, and no one was supposed to get the same number. But they let me get the same as a varsity player. And so as I walked down the hall...

I suddenly found myself lifted into the air and slammed against a locker by 3 kids who were all much bigger than me. It was disorienting and frightening, especially since the mistake that got me hauled off my feet (once I figured out what was happening) wasn't my fault.

Our coaches set a poor example. They high-fived bigger kids who leveled smaller ones like me in practice. They mocked those of us they didn't think should be on the team, in an effort to get us off the team. I stuck it out for the season because I'm a stubborn fuck, but it sucked

But here's the important part of the story. Some decent kids on the team — including a defensive captain and more than a few starters — respected that I stuck it out. And for the rest of High School, they'd come to help me if I was in trouble.

That was important, because the quarterback, who was a self-important asshole with an inferiority complex the size of Mars (sound familiar?), DIDN'T like that I stuck it out. He didn't like that people respected me for it. He made it his mission to bully and intimidate me.

He and a couple of his CHUD buddies would try to catch me by myself at parties. But somehow, every time he started to pick a fight, 3 or 4 of his teammates would materialize. One would start chatting with the QB, and another would throw an arm around me and lead me away.

I think about those guys a lot, including the QB. Kids are dumb. They do dumb shit. But most of them, I think, grow out of it. I saw him years later and he wanted to be friendly. He barely even remembered bullying me (or claimed he didn't). But I remember. Bullied kids always do.

For the last nine years, bullies have had a Bully in Chief to egg them on and draw them out. It's his entire appeal — a promise that he'll make "those people" pay for whatever they did to you. And he's fomented the worst, nastiest, grossest instincts in so many people

I've tried to live my life like the football players who came to help me over and over again. If I see a person in trouble and I can help, I try. I'm not mad at the kids who pushed me into a locker or tried to beat me up at parties. They had bad examples set for them somewhere

But I also won't tolerate adults who think it's funny for kids to get shoved into lockers. I won't tolerate people who think it's funny to bully a neurodivergent kid (or any kid) for loving his dad. And neither should you. It's not normal just because Trump normalized it.

I love working in the labor movement because at its core the movement is about linking arms to stand up to bullies. Solidarity is what those players who rallied around me were demonstrating, even if I didn't have the words for it yet. It's why I love my imperfect #1u family

I've got 3 neurospicy kids. My youngest is only 13 but he's been picked on by at least 3 kids who preyed on his blindspots. I know I can't stop all the bullies, but I can be part of making it uncool to be a bully. That starts with saying clearly that bullies don't represent us

Trump is a bully. He surrounds himself with bullies and creeps. JD Vance wants to punish you for not having enough kids. Stephen Miller wants to punish people for seeking a better life. The Heritage guys want to punish you for dreaming above your "station."

If we allow Trump to win, he will put the worst bullies in America in positions of power. It's not just him we have to stop. It's people who think it's funny to taunt a neurospicy kid for loving his dad, or shove smaller kids into lockers at school. That's what we're up against

The central question of this election isn't who will cut your taxes or build more bridges (even tho @KamalaHarris will do much more for you unless you have nine 0s in your bank account). It's about whether we're a country of bullies or a country of helpers.

I've seen a LOT of Republicans in the comments begging people to stop bullying Gus Walz. Some of them because strategically they understand how bad it looks, some because they're genuinely grossed out. Maybe they'll never vote for Kamala, but they might be fed up with Trumpism

A vote for Trump isn't just a vote for a tax cut or a vote for "border security." It's a vote to give the green light to all those people in the comments calling Gus Walz horrible names. It's a vote to empower the bullies who prey on your kids and make life toxic for everyone.

You and I might disagree strongly about how to make the economy better or how to run the border or whether unions are good. But I firmly believe that most Americans want all kids to be loved and cherished. Most people want a country where we extend an open hand, not a fist.

So, here's my open hand. If you're looking for a reset. If you're tired of bullying and screaming and anger as the primary language of politics. If you're tired of a guy who encourages trolls to piss on kids and send rape threats to women, let's work together at least for now.