Gymnast Shawn Johnson Put To Sleep After Breaking Leg
Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 1:08 AM
Wesley J. Smith
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June 17th, 2009 | 1:12 am
LOL. I love the Onion.
June 17th, 2009 | 2:52 pm
My fear with these sorts of pieces is that the message is not how different humans are from animals but that we’re not treating animals human enough, that we’d NEVER do that to a human so why are we doing it to a horse!?!
I fear it’s re-enforcing exactly what you’re fighting against Wesley.
June 17th, 2009 | 9:00 pm
Ken: I saw it the other way around. Also, it was a critique of eugenics, that is, of parents wanting their kids to fulfill THEM. I loved the line about the daughter “almost being a part of the family.”
June 18th, 2009 | 4:12 am
I liked the line, “Here we are with Shawn’s parents, Doug and Terry. It most be such a hard time for you.” That’s exactly how the media plays/would play it when interviewing someone who killed or wants to kill their family member.
I also liked the line, “I’ll never forget the way she looked on those mornings with the steam just rising off her body…” as a way of making fun of how our culture places so much emphasis on looks.
June 18th, 2009 | 4:37 pm
I can see that perspective too, but I think it’s also free to be interpreted the other way. In a way it’s kinda in the eye of the beholder. I tend to be pessimistic on these sorts of things.
No doubt it’s critical of parents who push their kids too hard, on that I think everyone can agree.
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