Childhood bully calls radio show to confess his old ways, reveals one question that changed his heart

Nelson Mandela once said, "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate." However, if someone can learn to hate, they can also learn to love. Take caller Richie, for instance. As a kid, his stepfather taught him to hate those who looked different, but through learned experiences, he rectified his mistake. In the LBC radio show, he confessed to Matthew Wright about bullying a kid and shared the reason for his change on November 30.

On Sunday, LBC Radio host Matthew Wright received a call from someone named Richie, who had a heartfelt confession to make. The caller revealed that he had a toxic past, and it was a learned behavior. Upon his stepfather's teaching, Richie had often bullied other kids in school. "My stepfather thought it was acceptable and actually encouraged me to be racist," Richie shared. His stepfather claimed that other people were "not as good" as him; however, as years went by, Richie realized the wrong notion he upheld. Host Wright, who was curious about the man's journey of redemption, asked him how he overcame it, to which Richie cited examples of people from various backgrounds he came across who restored his belief that humans were all the same, regardless of one's skin tone.

"My daughter got into a relationship with a Polish guy, who is lovely. I also have a shopkeeper round the corner who is a Hindu; he is the hardest-working man I have met. And I have just realized over time that we are all just people trying to get on in the world, and whatever color your skin is, we are all just the same people," Richie explained. Wright asked him about the day Richie apologized to the student he had bullied as a kid, to which he recalled the day from his school reunion. "It was at a school reunion, and he was like, 'I'm fine, I'm used to it.' It felt like a weight had been lifted, but I also felt more of an idiot." Richie mentioned how deeply it affected him to hear that the kid was 'used to it' since no one should ever have to get used to oppression.

However, Wright appreciated him for questioning his beliefs and owning up to his mistakes. "Being a man and being an adult is about facing up to the things we've done wrong and putting them right. So, when I hear people like yourself, like the cajones to do it in front of the radio, it makes my heart leap, Richie. It makes it worth getting up at 4 a.m. to hear people like you." In a 2024 study, Andrew N. Meltzoff and Walter S. Gilliam found that children are not born with racial biases. Instead, every child begins to acquire racial biases through mere observation of others' nonverbal behaviors and social interactions in their environment. Just like Richie, such injustice can be unlearned through empathy and critical thinking.

Soon after the post went viral, many online users praised the man's courage to own up to his mistake. @charleydives wrote, "I have a lot of respect for anyone who can look outside what they've been taught, or what they've believed and question it, or not stick to their guns when presented with new information/evidence." @bigyorkie2012 commented, "Respect, you listen and learned. Your story should be told." @bechartley commented, "This is a Joy, well done to this man and to Matthew Wright for holding space for him to tell his story."

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