I used this incident as a teachable moment for my kid to be responsible on social media...I guess I am fortunate all we had to avoid growing up was the Polaroid.
I've heard worse. Dumb and stupid comments that's all.
Leave him alone.
Here is the problem I have with all of this. Let's go back. If your an average Joe who cares? But as soon as you achieve something Let's go back. Let's go back and without any context of the situation "Time, age, circumstances, etc etc - Let' go back." Let's go back and use the past to destroy the potential future of someone. Where does this stop? Who is the next target? It's kind of like how people take one verse from the Bible and create a narrative. They don't put the verse in any context. They don't reference the previous chapter or next chapter.
Does anyone have to say how ignorant and pathetic some of the things people spout off? When your 17 years old and your just running your mouth off? What are some of the things you said and done when you were 17? But now your 40 with kids and a family and a life full of experiences. And now you gain a position or a promotion whatever and something you said when you were 17 is thrown out there to destroy you. Something about that just doesn't sit with me.
This society that wants to use the past to dictate the future. Wants to use the past to destroy the future. Of course people should be very careful about what they say, post, tweet, etc. Of course they should understand that the consequences are real and the thought shouldn't be there in the first place. But this practice of researching a person's past as soon as they "Become" someone and then using it to attempt to destroy them just eats at me. People just getting off on tearing others down. I know this. Every single one of us is flawed. Every single one of us has done things they are not proud of and said things they wish they would have never said. Can we live in the present please? Can we work to build others up and stop trying to destroy people? I am more concerned with what people are doing than what they have said.
I am not in any way trying to defend any racially motivated bigoted or hateful comments any one has made or will make. And I certainly won't defend that behavior. But come on.