Author asks us to try to "understand" Diane Schuler rather than condemn her

Submitted by fibtastic on Wed, 2009-08-12 05:28

Article here. Excerpt:

'Drunk-driving mom Diane Schuler's tale is tragic, but her behavior is more understandable than we'd like to admit
...
Diane Schuler was a mother of two small children who loaded her own kids and three others into her minivan for a long drive home from a camping trip. Small children, because they are so tied to our hearts, have the ability to drive us crazy with their complaints and carsickness and impatience. (Small kids are special in this regard.) Perhaps to fortify herself for the drive, Schuler reached for vodka and pot, substances she had probably used in the past. It may not seem obvious to someone who has never had a drinking problem, but for a woman whose most reliable support had become alcohol, it could make a kind of sad, twisted sense.

Schuler's husband -- who was once arrested for driving while intoxicated himself -- has publicly said that she didn't have a drinking problem, but Diane Schuler lived in a culture where drinking and driving was far too commonplace. Especially for women, alcohol has tremendous appeal as a way to calm our fears and blunt our miseries; it is private, portable, available and often very effective.
...
So if we're going to judge something, why not judge alcoholism -- instead of pointing the finger at one sad criminal alcoholic.'

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Comments

Nymphotropism in action -- again

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nymphotropism

"(neologism) A collection of attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and biases found in human societies that favor the claims, needs, sympathies, and wants of women."

Would we ever see an article written about George Sodini along the same vein? Schuler killed more than twice as many people as Sodini, 4 of them children, and three men (few articles written about the men victims, it seems, though many about the kids who were killed). Yet this author is trying to make excuses for her, saying "alcoholism" is to blame. Well in that case let's say any given murderer is not really at fault, it's "anger" that is to blame, or maybe "insanity" or "sociopathology", but gee, anything but the actual killer.

The only reason she is doing this is because the perp was a "mother", and so excuses are getting made. If it were the father, no excuses would be made.

This article, like the woman it's about, makes me sick.

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Submitted by Matt on Wed, 2009-08-12 15:20

and blame no woman for anything, no matter how bad,

is so pathetic as to be comical, if not so sad.

to make sad excuses about a very sad tragedy

is a tragedy of it's own.

what would Gomer say?

sadsadsadsadasadasad... and dumb.

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Submitted by daveinga on Thu, 2009-08-13 02:30

"Perhaps to fortify herself for the drive, Schuler reached for vodka and pot,"
Thats right, blame the dead kids for making her do it!

Always an excuse when its a woman, always a reason to damn when it's a man.

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Submitted by MichaelClaymore on Thu, 2009-08-13 02:38

manonthestreet

For sure if it had been a man there would be no searching for explanations. Having said that I do understand how people can reach for the bottle for support. This happens to both men and women. I am sure there was no intent to harm in what she did. Had the driver been a man I would say the same thing.

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Submitted by trotter on Thu, 2009-08-13 08:52

there's something i wonder.

i'm not much of an alcohol fan so i ask this.

do people reach for the bottle to forget their troubles because alcohol itself is so...normal?

does it depend on the person's ability to handle stuff?

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Submitted by dudejo on Sat, 2009-08-15 00:32