Friday, August 06, 2004
Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau – could the media please now drop the bone?
Not for Letourneau’s sake, mind. Having served her time doesn’t appear to have cured her of the virulent self-destructive streak that saw her hitch up with a 12 y.o. boy. It’s time that this 42 y.o. grew up – “You can’t always get what you want” (as I believe some 60s' fossils sing).
I do feel a good deal of sympathy for Fualaau. I have no idea how his name – as a minor and as a victim of (deemed) sexual abuse – became public years ago, but it’s obviously now much too late to undo the consequent damage. As a young man now, Fualaau just has to deal with the situation as best he can. Staying away from Letourneau’s contagious downer-ism would help, but in no sense would it be a complete cure. Part of his current wretchedness is just plain bad luck – specifically, his being an early-puberty prodigy, fathering a child at 12. Without this kid (the second one was really just the icing on the cake), it all would have been so much simpler for him to move on.
But it’s these kids who are now the missing, doughnut hole at the centre of this story. When the story first broke, the media – quite rightly – framed the main angle as the child protection one. Well, the only children needing protection now are Letourneau and Fualaau’s five and seven year old girls. I’m sure that they’ve already had enough dysfunction in their young lives that they don’t need now to grow up under the media spotlight of both their parents being an on-again, off-again freak show. Their dad sure as hell didn’t bring this on himself, and while their mum is indeed fair game, the welfare of these two children must come first – the media can’t have it both ways.
Not for Letourneau’s sake, mind. Having served her time doesn’t appear to have cured her of the virulent self-destructive streak that saw her hitch up with a 12 y.o. boy. It’s time that this 42 y.o. grew up – “You can’t always get what you want” (as I believe some 60s' fossils sing).
I do feel a good deal of sympathy for Fualaau. I have no idea how his name – as a minor and as a victim of (deemed) sexual abuse – became public years ago, but it’s obviously now much too late to undo the consequent damage. As a young man now, Fualaau just has to deal with the situation as best he can. Staying away from Letourneau’s contagious downer-ism would help, but in no sense would it be a complete cure. Part of his current wretchedness is just plain bad luck – specifically, his being an early-puberty prodigy, fathering a child at 12. Without this kid (the second one was really just the icing on the cake), it all would have been so much simpler for him to move on.
But it’s these kids who are now the missing, doughnut hole at the centre of this story. When the story first broke, the media – quite rightly – framed the main angle as the child protection one. Well, the only children needing protection now are Letourneau and Fualaau’s five and seven year old girls. I’m sure that they’ve already had enough dysfunction in their young lives that they don’t need now to grow up under the media spotlight of both their parents being an on-again, off-again freak show. Their dad sure as hell didn’t bring this on himself, and while their mum is indeed fair game, the welfare of these two children must come first – the media can’t have it both ways.
