+
More

An ongoing list of 'good kids' and 'thugs,' according to Fox News and Trump.

My exhaustive, tireless attempt to investigate the difference.

I'm trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.

You see, when a trove of previously unreleased court documents revealed that former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos had given false testimony to investigators about his contacts with Russian operatives during the campaign, Fox News' Sean Hannity attempted to exculpate the ex-aide by emphasizing his tender age: 29.

I get it. We all make mistakes in our youth. Some of us drink a little too much. Others of us wreck our dad's motorcycle. Still others of us mislead FBI agents about our illegal interactions with foreign governments. It happens.


Yet, according to Fox News, some adults who do wrong things — like Papadopoulos — are "good kids," while some actual kids (and adults) who have had wrong things done to them are irredeemable, no-good "thugs."

It's a fascinating dichotomy. There just has to be some kind of pattern to it all. But I just can't figure out what.

Here's a partial catalog so far. It's a puzzle! An enigma! A labyrinth inside of a Rubik's Cube inside of a snake eating its own tail!

George Papadopoulos, 29, pleaded guilty to lying to federal officers: good kid!

[rebelmouse-image 19532691 dam="1" original_size="700x316" caption="Photo via George Papadopoulos/LinkedIn." expand=1]Photo via George Papadopoulos/LinkedIn.

"George Papadopoulos. He admitted, OK, that he lied to the FBI. I think he is 29 years old." — Sean Hannity, "Hannity," Oct. 30, 2017.

Trayvon Martin, 17, shot dead by rogue neighborhood watch volunteer: thug.

Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images

"You dress like a thug, people are going to treat you like a thug." — Geraldo Rivera, "Fox & Friends," July 15, 2013.

Jared Kushner, 36, attended meeting with representatives of the Russian government, ostensibly to acquire dirt on Hillary Clinton:  good kid!

Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images.

"Kushner looks like a high school senior. Hard to believe he's fixing elections with Putin. In fact, impossible to believe. Sorry, CNN." — Bill O'Reilly, Twitter, July 24, 2017.

Michael Brown, 18, shot dead by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer: thug.

Photo by Elcardo Anthony.

"[Democrats] want to stir up this racial division within the inner-city communities, and that's why they're going to feature Michael Brown's mother [at the Democratic National Convention]. Michael Brown was a thug." — Allen West, "On the Record" with Greta Van Susteren, July 26, 2016.

Donald Trump Jr., 39, helped organize aforementioned meeting with representatives of the Russian government reportedly to acquire dirt on Hillary Clinton: good kid!

Photo by Saul Loeb/Getty Images.

"Don is — as many of you know Don — he's a good boy. He's a good kid. And he had a meeting; nothing happened with the meeting." — Donald Trump, July 13, 2017.

The rapper Common, 45, rapped: thug.

Photo by Jeff Schear/Getty Images.

"President Obama last week said he wanted to recapture that special moment we had after 9/11. And here [a] week later, we have an example of how this White House can recapture that moment by inviting a thug to the White House." — Karl Rove, "Hannity," May 10, 2011.  

Donald Trump, 71, bragged about committing sexual assault on tape: good kid!

Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images.

"This ['Access Hollywood' tape] was locker-room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago." — Donald Trump, Oct. 8, 2016.

Dajerria Becton, 14, body-slammed and arrested by local police after swimming in a pool: thug.

[rebelmouse-image 19532699 dam="1" original_size="700x364" caption="Image via Fox-4 Dallas-Fort Worth/YouTube." expand=1]Image via Fox-4 Dallas-Fort Worth/YouTube.

"The girl was no saint either. He had told her to leave, and she continued to linger. And when the cop tells you to leave, get out." — Megyn Kelly, "The Kelly File," June 9, 2015.

I haven't given up. I'm going to keep updating this list of "good kids" until we figure this out.

Maybe one day it'll come to me in a flash of brilliant light.

White light, most likely.

Keep checking back for updates as I continue to try and parse this impossible puzzle!

@thehalfdeaddad/TikTok

Dad on TikTok shared how he addressed his son's bullying.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.


The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Badass bikers show up for abused children, offering advocacy and protection

They become an abused child's "biker family," and they let the child—and everyone else—know that NO ONE messes with their family.

When you are a child who has been abused by people who are supposed to protect you, how do you feel safe?

That question is the heart of Bikers Against Child Abuse International (B.A.C.A.), an organization dedicated to creating "a safer environment for abused children." With specific training and extensive security checks, the frequently big and burly members of B.A.C.A. serve as protectors of chid abuse survivors, giving vulnerable children people to call on when they feel scared, and even showing up in court when a child asks them to.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Igor Ferreira on Unsplash

Florida principal fired after showing statue of "David."

If you ask most teachers why they went into education, they'll share that it had nothing to do with the money and everything to do with their passion for teaching. Even with rapid changes in curriculum and policies, teachers who remain in the classroom are lovers of education and are doing their best to help kids learn.

Hope Carrasquilla, the former principal of Florida's Tallahassee Classical School, was one of those teachers who simply enjoyed teaching. As the principal, Carrasquilla was required to teach two classes. During her sixth grade lesson about Renaissance art, which is also a requirement of the school, Carrasquilla showed a picture of Michelangelo's "David" statue.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, three parents complained about their children being shown the picture. Two of those parents were mostly upset that there wasn't sufficient notice given before the photo of the sculpture was shown. The third parent reportedly complained that the statue of the Biblical figure was pornographic.

Keep ReadingShow less

When Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi both landed their high jumps at 2.37 meters, they were in the battle for Olympic gold. But when both jumpers missed the next mark—the Olympic record of 2.39 meters—three times each, they were officially tied for first place.

In such a tie, the athletes would usually do a "jump-off" to determine who wins gold and who wins silver. But as the official began to explain the options to Barshim and Tamberi, Barshim asked, "Can we have two golds?"

Keep ReadingShow less
via YouTube

These days, we could all use something to smile about, and few things do a better job at it than watching actor Christopher Walken dance.

A few years back, some genius at HuffPo Entertainment put together a clip featuring Walken dancing in 50 of his films, and it was taken down. But it re-emerged in 2014 and the world has been a better place for it.

Keep ReadingShow less

English metal detector hobbyist finds a real treasure near Nottingham.

A retired merchant navy engineer in England has found a treasure that would have made his country’s most popular folk hero proud. Graham Harrison, a 64-year-old metal detector enthusiast, discovered a gold signet ring that once belonged to the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The discovery was made on a farm in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, 26.9 miles from Sherwood Forest. The forest is known worldwide for being the mythological home of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. A central road that traversed the forest was notorious in Medieval times for being an easy place for bandits to rob travelers going to and from London.

Keep ReadingShow less