Mark Winegardner on the Alabama teabagger and LSU victim in ESPN the Mag

[Drip]

Prison is a waste of time and taxpayer money. Given that they both were drunk off their asses in public, both should have to admit what they did was embarrassingly wrong before a live audience on a Dr. Phil broadcast; the teabagger then has to apolgize sincerely to the victim, who accepts it with dignity; the victim then gets to punch the teabagger in the stomach as hard as he can; and then everyone goes home and it's over, except for a stiff fine of, say, $2,000 for the teabagger. He lost his job, too. Ten months of hard time is too harsh.

But the guy damn sure should have apologized when he had the chance.

Bullshirt.

Don't let it happen to you, Drippy. The line would stretch around the block.

Wow. You do have some issues Rip.

 

[Boom_70]

You're so right ... that's another element that was missing.

I fully expected an apology and that part of the story just came up empty. The writer didn't even approach it. He could have at least pointed out that he had apologized or didn't think an apology was necessary. Instead, he steered clear except to say he was too busy to think about the other guy. All of that left me wondering what the heck and if the guy was even remorseful at all. It didn't really indicate one way or the other.

That's just not very good writing in my opinion, definitely not great.

As a reader, I would have perceived any expressed remorse as contrived.

Why? He SHOULD be remorseful if he is the guy his wife thinks he is. But all he cares about is his family and his job. That's a lot to be concerned about. But if you put your ballsack on a guy's face in a drunken stupor so bad you can't recall it, and go to jail for it, don't you at least THINK about the other guy?

Downing did not come across as remorseful in the story. A lack of apology to the story seemed glaring. Justice will be served if Downing becomes someone's bench in prison camp.

As far degree's of justice handed out, I think a lot depends on the quality of your attorney. Downing must not have had a very good one.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I have no sympathy for the nasty motherforker. None whatsoever.

Totally agree.

And, personally, the idiot got off light with that reduced charge. If I were the LSU kid, I'd file a civil claim and sue the pish out of him. He'd wash dishes the rest of his life.

 

[Azrael]

No story "writes itself."

Discuss.

 

[black dude with pompano]

You're so right ... that's another element that was missing.

I fully expected an apology and that part of the story just came up empty. The writer didn't even approach it. He could have at least pointed out that he had apologized or didn't think an apology was necessary. Instead, he steered clear except to say he was too busy to think about the other guy. All of that left me wondering what the heck and if the guy was even remorseful at all. It didn't really indicate one way or the other.

That's just not very good writing in my opinion, definitely not great.

As a reader, I would have perceived any expressed remorse as contrived.

Why? He SHOULD be remorseful if he is the guy his wife thinks he is. But all he cares about is his family and his job. That's a lot to be concerned about. But if you put your ballsack on a guy's face in a drunken stupor so bad you can't recall it, and go to jail for it, don't you at least THINK about the other guy?

Downing did not come across as remorseful in the story. A lack of apology to the story seemed glaring. Justice will be served if Downing becomes someone's bench in prison camp.

Fantastic! I knew the thread wouldn't be complete without a prison-rape joke. Such a hilarious topic.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

A story that reads as if it wrote itself reads that way because the author did a pretty damn good job of writing it. There's a disconnect with saying the story wrote itself and finding fault that the guy didn't apologize. The guy didn't apologize. Maybe the guy isn't sorry. It's not the author's job to coerce an apology out of him. Had Winegardner done so, the story sure wouldn't be writing itself.

 

[Riptide]

Doubt that the guy will do something that stupid again, but why waste the money it costs to imprison him for 10 months? Put him on a work crew every weekend for 10 months, with those nights spent in the county jail, and get some real value out of his sentence.

The other guy isn't blameless, either. He got so drunk in public that he passed out for a couple hours, so live with that, buddy. You're a victim of yourself, too.

Another case of stupid human behavior, not horrific crimes. I'd prefer that the punishment embarrasses the heck out of both of them and gives them stiff fines, then warns them not to fork up again. Prison time costs taxpayer money, and you can still have stiff punishment without the public paying so much for it.

 

[Mark2010]

Stuff people do while intoxicated in beyond belief sometimes.

 

[Boom_70]

Doubt that the guy will do something that stupid again, but why waste the money it costs to imprison him for 10 months? Put him on a work crew every weekend for 10 months, with those nights spent in the county jail, and get some real value out of his sentence.

The other guy isn't blameless, either. He got so drunk in public that he passed out for a couple hours, so live with that, buddy. You're a victim of yourself, too.

Another case of stupid human behavior, not horrific crimes. I'd prefer that the punishment embarrasses the heck out of both of them and gives them stiff fines, then warns them not to fork up again. Prison time costs taxpayer money, and you can still have stiff punishment without the public paying so much for it.

If public intoxication was the standard for arrest on Bourbon St they would need The Super Dome to house everyone.

 

[Doc Holliday]

A story that reads as if it wrote itself reads that way because the author did a pretty damn good job of writing it. There's a disconnect with saying the story wrote itself and finding fault that the guy didn't apologize. The guy didn't apologize. Maybe the guy isn't sorry. It's not the author's job to coerce an apology out of him. Had Winegardner done so, the story sure wouldn't be writing itself.

Acutally, I don't call play-by-play from a Youtube video with the timestamp included as great writing. But, of course, your standards and mine are obviously quite different.

The story wrote itself because there was a video to use and write from. It didn't need any story telling. All you had to do was write what you watched, which the author did. It was weak and clearly not "great" writing.

 

[Doc Holliday]

A story that reads as if it wrote itself reads that way because the author did a pretty damn good job of writing it. There's a disconnect with saying the story wrote itself and finding fault that the guy didn't apologize. The guy didn't apologize. Maybe the guy isn't sorry. It's not the author's job to coerce an apology out of him. Had Winegardner done so, the story sure wouldn't be writing itself.

I also explained that because there was no apology, it left me wondering and that the author didn't attempt to clarify whether the pervert was actually sorry or not. If you would actually read the entire post, you would have picked up on this.

I'm not stupid. I know it's not the god damn job of the writer to forking coerce an apology out of the pervert. Pay attention dooshbag and you'll figure it out.

 

[Drip]

Point is, the forker pulled out his walker and rubbed it on a guy's face not once but several times. He knew exactly what he was doing and enjoyed it. I hope the guy sues the shirt out of him and Krystals.
And should he get the same treatment in the joint, it will be well deserved. Then we'll find out if he swallows.