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It must have been a slow news week* in Orange County, Calif., when the OC Register's Mark Whicker concocted this ridiculously insensitive column letting kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard know all the sports news that happened in the 18 years since she's been missing. (He told Fanhouse that he thought up the piece as a way to "celebrate the release of the girl.")* By "slow news week," we mean "a week in which a newspaper triumphed over those who say print is dead and found the column inches to publish a sportswriter's glib take on an child's kidnapping and repeated rape."
Not only is this column the ultimate in exploitation, the "odd things" in sports that Whicker wants Dugard to know include "Yeah, this golfer is really named Tiger Woods," and "Magic Johnson is a billionaire businessman, and most of us have forgotten just why he had to retire."
But it's not just successful black athletes whom Whicker thinks will baffle Jaycee Dugard. He also wonders with his great wisdom, "Who's going to explain the fact that there's a President Obama?" Yeah, Mark, because it's such a ridiculous idea in 2009 to have someone who's not an old white guy in the White House.
We don't even want to give this guy the site hits for this piece, but at least the commenters seem to be taking him to task. Jaycee Dugard is the victim of an unspeakable tragedy, not Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. Why didn't you think about that before you hit the keyboard, Mr. Whicker? You have definitely earned the title of Lemondrop D-bag of the Day.
Update: Whicker published an apology soon after the story ran. Accepted!
Comments:
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Thursday 10 September
By Sherry
Mark Whicker should be locked up for harassment. Not only is he insensitive about this tragedy, he is the one who looks like the "caveman".
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Thursday 10 September
By plwood625
You got that right, Sherry! All he needs are his animal skin loincloth and club!
Friday 11 September
By Nick
The column was fine until the last sentence, which did in fact reveal Whicker to be a douche. However, NO ONE could've seen a (part) black President as a reality back in 1991, or that the world's best golfer would be (part) black, or even that Magic Johnson would still be alive let alone a successful billionaire businessman.
However, Ms. Muse, since many of the things in the article have to do with sporting events not involving black athletes, you are the bigger douche for making this about race.
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Thursday 10 September
By paul10paranormal
Well, remember, she did miss the entire Michael Jordan Era.
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Tuesday 29 September
By allen
Jaycee should just be left alone...... The media should be focused on the MONSTER that kidnapped her. Shame on you Mr. Whicker
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Thursday 10 September
By Daisy
Is that really the guy? He looks very odd and scary. I thought that picture was just of someone who had movie make up on or something trying to be ugly!!!!
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Thursday 10 September
By seven
It is someone with makeup on. It is a Saturday Night Live photo from the show.
Friday 25 September
By suzy Q
that guy should be hung by ..... and his faced used as a target. Typical uneducated, unmoral ,foot in his mouth jerk
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Thursday 10 September
By Tiphanie
I think it was completely rude and disrescpectful! and for the "douches" up top it's pretty difficult to not to make the topic seem as if it were about race because all of the people in his "phone call" that he mentions are 10 times more successful than he is...and oh yeah black! He didn't say anything about the Clinton scandal....Sorry that was the only thing I could pull out of my ass................(It seems to be happening alot these days).
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Thursday 10 September
By Diana
I didn't find the arcticle offensive at all, and I'm a prudish conservative. I felt like the author way pointing out just how much time has gone on without her....very sympathetic to her having been cut-off from society. The last sentence was a kind of on line line for good taste, because of the word "congratulations", like it's her own short-coming that she hadn't left the yard before. But other than that, the author is showing compassion:
"Penitentiary inmates at least get an hour of TV a day. Dugard was cut off from everything but the elements."
He's giving a blow-by-blow account of just how much she's missed out on....never getting to high-five someone at a sports game, etc. He's giving us a visual picture....never allowed to spike a volleyball, etc.
Let's not make him out to be the kidnapper.
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Thursday 10 September
By b
i think he can say what ever he wants this is america. you all are drinking the kool-aid by trying to shut peoples freedoms down, must be a bunch of left wingers on here........did anyone here condemn the president when he made a joke about special olympic athletes
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Thursday 10 September
By karolslife
What I want to know is how the editor, who has to approve these columns PRIOR to publishing, can skip out on any of the blame. SOMEONE had to approve this drivel before it was printed. Their head should be on the same platter as the journalists. BOTH should be under fire for the inconsiderate ramblings of this moronic journalist that thinks the past 18 years of sports "highlights" are the only concerns of this young woman now that she is no longer a prisoner of some deranged degenerate and his hideous wife.
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Thursday 10 September
By Mari
She wasn't living in a hole! Why wouldn't she know who Barack Obama is as well as Shag or anyone/anything else? You need to get your facts straight before you write a column and make yourself look downright ignorant....
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Thursday 10 September
By Ree EL List
WOW! A WHITE WOMAN comes out of a sex bunker after 18 years and somehow her story is linked to the activities and accomplishments--good and bad--of sports in general and the black race in particular.
And according to the author, the really depraved thing about Jaycee Dugards 18 year imprisonment is not the fact that at the age of 11 she was being sexually molested on a regular basis by someone whom she probably believed was going to kill her one day; the really heinous act that was perpetrated upon this woman-child was that she didn't get to "Spike a volleyball, or roll in a 5 foot putt for par during her imprisonment."
WOW! I'm shocked.
And he didn't even mention of O.J. Simpson.
This column is a perfect example of the consequences of ONE MORE CHANCE: which is the ILL LEGACY of the socially elite in our society.
The writer knew that this article was insensitive, callous, and cruel.
But he also knew that he wouldn't lose his job because of it, or suffer any negative consequences due to it--besides being disapproved of in the court of public opinion-- which he obviously could care less about.
This columnist probably has a daughter locked in the basement whom he is fathering children with.
It's his right to do so. Just as it's his right to write this type of despicable drivel.
The proof is in the pudding.
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Friday 11 September
By bob
Contrary to what you just said Ree EL. In theUnited Stats you do not have the right to break the law. We have a lot of rights, but that is not one of them.
Friday 11 September
By Jewel
He should be nominated for D-bag of the YEAR/CENTURY (after GWB-Rove-Cheney)
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Sunday 13 September
By megan
what is wrong with people ? everything return to black and white how about the human race we are not talking about a dog and a fish time to move on .this poor girl and not to forget the kids that was put through hell bcause of this animal well let me see how about doing fund drive for her because she is away from that horrible person but mentally she is still there so think of her like one of your family BE KIND it dosnt hurt .
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