Shawn Hornbeck Asked for It

Here's the link to the video:

Bill O’Reilly blames the victim–for shame…

1-18-2007 9:33 PM

wurdzgurl

He makes my skin crawl!

1-18-2007 10:09 PM

DizzyDezzi

Yeah, worms have a tendency to do that, don't they?

1-19-2007 7:02 AM

CrazyRedHead

I watch O'Reilly from time to time and I saw this report. I just couldn't believe it initially that he would say such things about a kidnappped child, but then I remembered that O'Reilly is nothing but an arrogant bully who likes nothing better than to crush other people under a barrage or criticism and abuse (deserved or not).

And when the awful truth about Shawn's suffering finally comes out, will this bully spend as much time apologizing as he did slandering? I think not.

1-19-2007 6:01 PM

O'Reilly is just doing what he does best Crazy; make money.

1-19-2007 9:27 PM

The misrepresentation in this clip title is indecent

1-19-2007 9:44 PM

gingembre

Bill O'Reilly is indecent

1-19-2007 9:48 PM

Socratoad

This is the real Bill O'Reilly, not the semi-jovial faux O'Reilly many watched on the Colbert report.

1-19-2007 10:07 PM

And to think O'Reilly was once a teacher.

1-19-2007 10:23 PM

I don't know if I agree with O'Reilly or not, van Susteren wasn't sure either. The point is that you may entirely disagree with his speculation, but he at no time said anything whatsoever that justifies the despicable clip title. To me, it's far worse than his speculation, which was not at all out of the realm of possibility.

1-19-2007 11:33 PM

O'Reilly puts forth a very plausible explanation. He spends a very large amount of time on TV speaking out for victims of crime. So, he obviously is not indifferent to the horrors of this case. To suggest he was "blaming the victim" or suggesting Hornbeck "asked for it" is beyond rational.
At the very least, it is vastly more implausible than O'Reilly's assertion.

1-20-2007 12:57 AM

maedko

i agree with bill. i cant believe that he didnt want to escape and then went on tv to tell ppl that he had faith....thats bullshit. he didnt wanna be found and everyone knows it.

1-20-2007 10:02 AM

After teaching teenagers in high school, it is hard for me to believe
that a normal kid would stay in a horrible environment when escape was
easy, especially if the child had confidence in his parents.

Is that statement not indicative of placing blame on the victim?

1-20-2007 12:18 PM

Not even remotely ! The kid was obviously controlled. He could have walked away at any time. It has been reported he even visited his parents website and asked; "How long will you search for your son?", and made other contacts.
This attack on O'Reilly is indicitive of the type of attitude the left has about open and honest debate. There is NO rationale for the ridiculous invective in your title.

I cannot figure you Debbyski, you seem to be kind and eager to discuss issues rationally, while at the same time close-minded and unwilling to accept the opposing view is not evil.

1-20-2007 1:36 PM

I don't think the opposing view is evil because I disagree with it; but in this case I don't understand it. My clip title was indicative as disagreeing with O'Reilly's assessment of a child staying in a horrible environment especially when escape was easy. Does that mean he enjoyed being there? I think you would have to get into the mindset of a victim and their particular abilities to cope within the situation. Everyone's different, and of course we are talking about a child, so I don't have any particular sympathy for O'Reilly's comments.

1-20-2007 1:57 PM

You should interpret remarks with rationale rather than with feelings. It seems to me your displeasure with the remarks are more with who made them, rather than the interpetation you acquire.

1-20-2007 2:40 PM

1-20-2007 5:31 PM

It seems to me your displeasure with the remarks are more with who made them, rather than the interpetation you acquire.

That's an astute observation Willhelm; one that may have some truth.

1-20-2007 9:34 PM

@willhelm

This attack on O'Reilly is indicitive of the type of attitude the left has about open and honest debate.

Bla bla bla....

Why does everything in your little universe have to do with being right or left?? I can hardly read a single comment from you on any clip at all, without it being, ooh the lefties me here, and the lefties me there. You're definitely suffering from some kind of obsessive compulsive "leftophobia"! Get over it already! Has the thought ever occurred to you, that sometimes things are just about right or wrong and nothing more? Hmm? Did that thought ever strike your teensy mind? Naaaa, now I've probably just freaked you out even more with this oh so leftie comment, eh? Tsss!

1-20-2007 11:43 PM

Mstaken, You don't know me very well

example http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/829D086D-1313-490C-BB68-EFD8968F03F8/

As usual you leftists tend to be what you hate

1-21-2007 7:06 AM

What on earth has that got to do with THIS clip? You really to get a life and get some help for your leftophobia, that's for sure! Can't you even distinguish between one leftist or some leftists as appposed to ALL leftists?? Hmm?

As for this clip, I have no idea what's going on with Shawn and why he stayed. I keep thinking about why battered women stay in abusive relationships. After all, they can go shopping, get the kids to school, talk to others and so on, yet they often stay in a horrible and abusive relationship anyway. Maybe the phycology is the same, who knows? Manipulation, fear and so on, all play a part in it, Whether Shawn did or didn't stay voluntarily, isn't really what O'Reil...

1-21-2007 7:16 AM

That besides, in the clip you linked to, I again can read a comment from yourself saying:

This is a liberal tactic

Again it's ALL about the big bad lefties, eh? Well again, it's just more paranoid bla bla bla rhetoric from you... yet again.

1-21-2007 3:56 PM

You're are such a child sometimes, Ms Taken. Are you suggesting that no one should use terms and / or phrases that are descriptive of relative political and social positions?

The adult understands that these are useful generalizations, and imperfect and not fixed definitions of groups of persons, let alone individuals.

Why don't you consider relaxing and not sweatin' the small stuff. You're coming off like a hysterical drama queen.

1-21-2007 4:59 PM

Is that the best you can do?

Which ever way, I still can't see what this clip at all has to do with politics. Who said it isn't he issue, it's what was said. What ever side, left or right, O'Reilly had been on, it still would have been wrong of him to say the things he did, when nobody knows what that kid has been through or why. Folks opinions of his comment, left or right, have just at little to do with it. Having every clip turned into a left/right issue is just not right or fair, especially on such a sensitive subject as abuse. People just shouldn't cast judgement so quickly like O'Reilly did about the kid, and as willhelm continuously and obsessively does about the left. ...

1-21-2007 6:00 PM

Are you suggesting that no one should use terms and / or phrases that are descriptive of relative political and social positions?

I think TNCBT has a good point that O'Reilly's comments don't have any particular politcal position at all, GD. His remarks are more insensitive to the dynamics of a child in victim/abuser situation. I think O'Reilly just puts his mouth where his money is.

1-21-2007 7:28 PM

Ms Taken, you're not tracking and therefore your response is relevant to my comment.

Debby, obviously his comments aren't political. There is much more to the general make-up of left and right than politics. His examination of this case is more typical of the conservative in that he has looked at it dispassionately, and without fear of examining all the aspects of human nature possibly in play.

The emotional person is very uncomfortable doing this. Once the victim is identified, and this kid clearly is, other considerations about him are thought "unthinkable" by those whose emotions rule their thought process.

1-21-2007 7:29 PM

edit: your response is not relevant to my comment.

1-21-2007 8:04 PM

His examination of this case is more typical of the conservative in that he has looked at it dispassionately,

G.D., I have to disagree that that assessment. O'Reilly uses emotion to appeal to his viewers all the time. A good example would be the Jeremy Glick interview. O'Reilly interrupted, yelled, and went into emotional rants at inappropriate times. In the Hornbeck instance, I believe O'Reilly strives to elicit an emotional response by appearing dispasionate. I will admit that O'Reilly is a master of manipulation and his bank account speaks to that fact.

1-21-2007 9:06 PM