A tearful, unscripted moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has unleashed a flood of praise and admiration – but also prompted ugly online bullying.

Gus Walz, who has a nonverbal learning disorder as well as anxiety and ADHD, watched excitedly from the front row of Chicago’s United Center and sobbed openly Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic nominee for vice president, delivered his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Conservative columnist and right-wing provocateur Ann Coulter mocked the teenager’s tears. “Talk about weird,” she wrote on X. The message has since been deleted.

Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and podcaster from New Jersey, mocked Walz’s “stupid crying son” on X and added, “You raised your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.”

Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who hosts a podcast about fatherhood, took his own swipe at the teenager: “Get that kid a tampon already,” he wrote, an apparent reference to a Minnesota state law that Walz signed as governor in that required schools to provide free menstrual supplies to students.

  • bradinutah
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    3 months ago

    Too bad some people just don’t know about or choose to not follow the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

    • jumjummy@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      That’s because they’re “Christians” and nowhere in the Bible does it say to be kind to others, or to have empathy, or to respect each other… /s

      • Cadeillac@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Love thy neighbor

        Edit: I stopped reading before the /s. My bad. This one’s on me

        • jumjummy@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          I almost didn’t add that /s at the end figuring “surely nobody would think I’m serious”. Apparently my comment wasn’t dripping with enough sarcasm!

          • Promethiel@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            Case of not seeing the wit for the trees. In the topsy-turvy landscape of the last 8 years or so, the problem is that “dripping with” part. The weirdos do always go for the double-down after all, so adding more starts risking confusion with that tactic of theirs.

    • kautau@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      I think many people in fact actively get a high from feeling powerful, and therefore doing the exact opposite of what they want done to them, and then are usually the people to whine the loudest when anything of the sort happens to them.

      For example Trump’s speeches are like 85% insulting people, whining about those critical about him, etc. Huge middle school bully energy.

      • Maeve@kbin.earth
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        3 months ago

        Yes and there was recently a speech he gave whining about how he was treated.

        • frunch@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Recently? I can’t recall a speech he’s given since he started running for president where he didn’t whine about perceived mistreatment

    • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com
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      3 months ago

      When you’re a narcissist, “others” is nonsensical, because the only person worthy of agency and empathy is you. That’s why the golden rule doesn’t work - it’s like if they were colorblind, they lack the capacity to even understand it.