Up to what point is the ''I was a stupid kid'' a good excuse to be mean?

[sunshinexoxo1]

I'm not sure if anyone of you saw the movie ''You Again''. That pretty much covers that excuse.

The lady is now in her mid-late 20's and finds out her brother is about to get married to her old HS bully. He's going to marry the woman that tormented at school for 4 whole years. When the woman is confronted with her past, she said ''I was a stupid kid'' and ''That was HS''. She had no intention of ever apologizing and at the end, the apology was forced.

Up to what point is that even a valid excuse? Or should people move on from HS?

Updates

+1 y

The former bully expected the lady to just forget about the HS issue, move on and speak to her as if it never happened.

[Anonymous]

You should totally move on. Because if not, not only did they affect your past. But you're allowing them to affect your present and future as well. But moving on does NOT mean you have to forgive.

If you remember that movie kind of showed that most people were "bullied" by someone. Like her mother and grandmother had this problem as well. It was less pronounced. But it was there.

[sunshinexoxo1]

yeah the girl's mother had a fallout with a best friend at the HS prom and the grandmother had a rival that stole her date. It's silly how someone can still be stuck at HS drama and who hated you back then vs who liked you.
I wouldn't be freaky about demanding an apology though. If I had such an issue, I just wouldn't show up at the wedding.

[sunshinexoxo1]

the bullied girl was so demanding on getting an apology that it sounded like entitlement by then. She literally said ''I wanted a real apology and I deserved one''. Really? Come to think of it no one is so special that they deserve an apology. An apology freely given by the person on her own will, not demanded.

[Opinion Owner]

Well that's why I say move, but you don't have to forgive. Because you're not the same person. They may or may not be. That time is over you've moved on to bigger and better things.
I meet people I didn't care for, that didn't care for me. Arguably bullied me. I say that because one apologized for bullying me. And honestly I didn't remember him bullying me. I told him I knew he didn't like me in school. But I don't remember him bullying me. And he said "it's OK you can admit it". And I said admit what? I really don't remember you bullying me. I said if you bullied me you apparently didn't do a very good job. One of my friends started laughing. And then the guy had a look on his face like he was deflated. Like I can't say for certain but I think he wanted me to fear him or feel he had some power over me and he didn't. Make no mistake I do remember some bullies but he wasn't one. Just a guy who looked at me with disdain.
Some people grow up some don't. But you don't have to allow those people to affect you.