MORE than seven years after committing a ''disgusting and abhorrent'' crime that appeared to have ended a career that showed its promise when he became the Warriors' youngest ever first-grade player, Shaun Metcalf has been given a second chance.
According to author Celia Lashie his second chance is well deserved and that critics of Metcalf shouldn’t get caught up with the details of his past:
''We can all get caught up in the emotional image of young men booting a young woman in the stomach to cause her to abort her baby, but these were two young people … she got pregnant, he was way out of his depth, and he did a really cruel and dumb thing.
''We can all get caught up in the emotional image of young men booting a young woman in the stomach to cause her to abort her baby” – Excuse me? “Of course it is an emotional image – if the story of a young man, who coldly calculated a plan to force his girlfriend to miscarry by punching and kicking her in her stomach doesn’t evoke some sort of emotional response then what kind of person are you?
“She got pregnant” – Because women just click their fingers and ‘get pregnant’ right? Last time I checked it took two people to make a baby, but maybe Lashie needs to go back to Year 7 Health classes. Also love the implication that her pregnancy somehow contributed to him assaulting her.
“He was way out his depth” - Last time I checked, that wasn’t really an excuse for physically assaulting someone.
“and he did a really cruel and dumb thing.” Well, Lashie got one thing right. It was cruel. I don’t think it was dumb though. Dumb is forgetting someone’s birthday, or trying to start your car when it’s not in park. Metcalf’s actions were cold and calculated.
I don’t know how remorseful Metcalf is about his actions, and how he has come to terms with the vicious assault he carried out. Hopefully he has acknowledged the hurt and the pain he has caused and doesn’t expect people to forget what he has done. What isn’t helpful in the rehabilitation process is people like Lashie making excuses for his actions and trivialising his actions.
Is she still a friend? Jeeeesus! That is sick.
ReplyDeleteThis is the comment that really made me sick:
ReplyDelete"He was caught in the moment, and what he did was the equivalent of a young man putting a noose around his neck because his girlfriend tossed him out."
Er, no. Deliberately and brutally assaulting a young girl, to cause an end to a pregnancy she wants to carry out, is in no way similar to making a dramatic emotional gesture that won't cause harm to anyone else.
Also, "caught in the moment" doesn't apply here, since he planned the assault, even to the extent of enlisting help beforehand.
This goes beyond minimizing, and into the realm of blatant misrepresentation.