Although we love to view the world in absolutes, things are seldom black and white. Heroes have skeletons in their closets and assholes secretly donate money to the ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan. Okay, maybe not.
But the point is that the world is a complex place, full of moral ambiguity, double standards and mixed feelings.
So we have taken it upon ourselves to bring back the epic binary of good versus bad, right versus wrong, and virtuous versus evil.
We humbly present you Asshole and Hero of the week.
Via: New York Times
Asshole: Robert Durst
If you’re like me, you have never heard of Robert Durst until this week. After reading the controversies surrounding his six-part HBO documentary series, “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” I have determined that I hate this man.
A little background before I completely rip him apart:
Durst is a multimillionaire. Back in 2003, he was acquitted of the gruesome murder of Morris Black, but as one juror in that case summed up, no one actually thought he was innocent.
“I wouldn’t ask him to escort my daughter to her senior prom,” the juror stated after the verdict was read. He added, “Durst isn’t the only crazy person in Galvaston.”
This juror might as well have said, “Yeah, he’s a terrible person who probably committed this crime, but he’s not the only one around these parts, so we good.”
Fuckin’ Texas.
He’s now faced with a new charge for the 2000 murder of his friend, Susan Berman. The same legal team from 2003 will be defending him for this one, but Durst has become somewhat of a celebrity in the minds of people obsessed with celebrity trials like those of O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson.
His notoriety has grown since the final installment of the documentary series aired on Sunday. In the final moments of the presentation, Durst says something to himself that can be heard through his mic.
“What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.”
This troubling confession has been dismissed by some claiming that we “don’t know what he was thinking at the time,” but I don’t buy that shit for a second. This guy has been implicated in the disappearance of his wife (who was never found) and two murders. So either he is the unluckiest person on this planet of ours, or he’s a sociopathic, maniacal asshole that probably killed three people.
I’m banking on the latter.
Via: BuzzFeed
Hero: Charles Martin
A boy planned to bomb his high school in Oklahoma this week. The plot was discovered and fortunately thwarted, but the father of another boy who goes to the targeted school wrote an open letter to the would-be bomber that was full of empathy, understanding and advice for the future.
Charles Martin owns a small publishing company and he used it to write a compassionate and heartfelt letter to the kid who would have injured or killed his son if he were to follow through with his plans.
In the letter, he connected with the unnamed suspect. He told him that “High school is a tough place. It often made me angry and desperate too.”
He told the kid that life gets better after high school.
I think this is wonderful because this father was able to connect to this clearly disturbed kid and empathize with him. He knows that this kid probably doesn’t have anyone to tell him that everything is going to be okay. He knows that no one listens to this kid. He offered this kid the chance to know that someone is listening and that someone does understand what he’s going through.
Because at the end of the day, kids just want to know that you are there for them. They just need to know that things are going to be better.
We all do.
So thank you, Charles Martin for imparting your dad wisdom and empathy on this kid and the world.
Feature photo courtesy of: Koco
