That would be one way of checking them, wouldn't it? I'm all for it.

Though, in the internet experience, I think we can all agree that a physical response isn't available to us.

Believe me, I'd like nothing better than to punch her right in her stupid fucking mouth for harassing that (likely teenage) activist. Felt the same way about her harassing and dogging made shooting survivors. Actually, that one I wanted to knock her on the ground and beat her with a belt.

Kids get special considerations for a damn reason. Everyone knows this. It's part of the social contract. It does not say anything good about a society that allows it's leaders to treat children in such a reprehensible fashion.

But....

Bigotry is different. Bigotry is not a fair check because it attacks a group of people in a derogatory fashion based on nothing but your desire to hurt them for existing. It maligns whole swaths of people. It never addresses a real issue. It does not acknowledge an individual's actions.

Therefore, it's not a check against a bully, but an act of bullying itself. Where does that leave things? More hurt, contempt, and distrust all around. More people forced to defend themselves, for existing, when they didn't have anything in the world to do with the original disagreement.

Is MTG a bully? Yes. Does she need to be checked? Absolutely. But remember. Every gender slur hurled at her is thrown in the face of your mother, your sister, your wives your daughters, and every other woman too. What exactly did any of them have to do with MTG kicking a kid?