I'm aware that these are supposed to be the types of articles that this prick is renowned for, but I'm unable to stomach the thought of Shank lionizing a suicide canidate at this point of time. I will say this slow, for the 'Objective Bruce' shitheads that may be reading this. I had a younger brother who went through a quick depression (and a three day coke binge) and hung himself in depression after losing what he thought was the love of his life. Now I'm supposed to stand here and elevate Will above that?
Call me callous, but fuck Shaughnessy for this article. If you want to compare their ages (my little brother was 28 when this happened), maybe he has a point. Should we compare suicides at different points in life and decide what's better? The point I'll make is that it's a selfish act, and maybe shouldn't be forgiven.
I'm sorry to hear about your brother.
ReplyDeleteI've been a fan of DSW for a while and can't stand Shank either...but I think you're off base. I read the article fully expecting it to be smug or snarky. It was neither.
Suicide is awful and tragic whether it happens to a 28 year old or a 15 year old. Shank, being a sports columnist, wrote about a foundation set up by a former Red Sox reliever whose son committed suicide. He has every right to. The Trautweins set up a foundation to help teens who are suicidal. Neither Shank nor the Trautweins said that they don't care about older people with depression. That'd be like getting angry at Boys Town National hotline because they don't help adults.
I know the subject is a tough one for you and seeing a writer you don't like opine about it must be doubly tough...but I don't see a problem with this piece.
I am truly sorry about your brother, and about how painful this subject is for you.
ReplyDeleteAs someone with my own experiences with mental health issues who also genuinely supports the critiques normally leveled at DS here, however, I would join Paul with the respectful suggestion that your own --understandable, justifiable, completely normal, and strong -- feelings are more at work here than anything really being wrong with this piece.
Paul & Beth - agreed. I stopped reading the article somewhere in the first half and basically snapped.
ReplyDeleteLesson leaned; never write when you're angry. Thanks for the feedback.