Mark Whicker, what were you thinking?

This is only slightly less shocking that reading something like this from Poz or Plaschke. Whicker is usually the same type of columnist.

 

I bet if she read it, she would slap him.
She was raped for years. Gave birth to those children and lived in backyard shacks.

 

Is that ball four?

 

I'm sure. Especially this line: "Congratulations, Jaycee. You left the yard."

 

I've read some stuff that was in bad taste where you can step back and say,

"I know what they were trying to do, but they failed." or "I guess they thought this would be funny, but it's too over-the-top."

I have no fucking idea what Mark Whicker was thinking when he came up with that.

 

Based on the reader comments on the paper's Web site and the on other sites around the 'net, you're in the minority.

 

Sent him an e-mail asking how he thought it was a good idea and got this response:

Since you've made up your mind I won't spend much time explaining it, other than to say that it was an attempt to illustrate how 18 years of confinement really is. It was also a celebration of her release.

 

I like Mark, and I think he's an outstanding columnist, one of the best, but holy Toledo!! This one should never have seen the light of day. Horror stories do not translate to whimsy. This is somewhere between embarrassing and shameful for all concerned. Don't they have any editors at the Register?

 

It was a celebration of poor taste.

 

He's not just digging himself a hole, he's busted through some sewer pipe at the bottom and is filling it up with crap. Someone on Shysterball posted MW's arrogant email responses re: this column. Don't know if there's a ladder big enough for him to drag himself out of this hole.

 

Indescribable levels of awful.

 

Knowing Mark's whimisical ways, I can see what he was trying to do. It didn't translate well. Someone should've pulled Mark to the side on this one.