Contributor: The right laughs off its own offenders and takes umbrage at the left's

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The phrase “kids will be kids” has long been used to excuse bad behavior. It grew out of a centuries-old idea that youth itself should confer some form of immunity — that immaturity, carelessness or even cruelty are simply part of growing up. What began as a forgiving nod to childhood mischief has evolved into a cultural permission slip, a way to turn irresponsibility into inevitability. It is now used to dismiss the harmful choices of adults as the natural impulses of children. “Kids will be kids.”

This indulgent logic now echoes through the politics of MAGA. When Republican figures or their allies say or do something offensive, it’s brushed off as a prank, a joke or “young people