O’Reilly has opined that Shawn Hornbeck, the 15-year-old who was kidnapped and held for four years by a 41-year-old man, stayed with his captor because he got to play all day and didn’t have to go to school.
On the January 15 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor, host Bill O’Reilly said of Shawn Hornbeck — who was abducted at the age of 11, held for four years, and recently found in Missouri — that “there was an element here that this kid liked about this circumstances” and that he “do[esn't] buy” “the Stockholm syndrome thing.” O’Reilly also said: “The situation here for this kid looks to me to be a lot more fun than what he had under his old parents. He didn’t have to go to school. He could run around and do whatever he wanted.” When fellow Fox News host Greta Van Susteren pointed out that “[s]ome kids like school,” O’Reilly replied: “Well, I don’t believe this kid did.”
Yeah, because kids love being ripped from their families and (most likely*) forced into inappropriate sexual relationships. You betcha, Bill. Greta van Susteren didn’t buy Bill’s lunatic ravings, and he promised that if he’s wrong, he’ll show the clips of his declarations and eat crow. Uh huh. Sure he will.
VAN SUSTEREN: It may turn out — you may turn out to be right. I don’t know.
O’REILLY: I usually do. I usually — that usually is what happens.
VAN SUSTEREN: Especially when you’re the jury.
O’REILLY: If I’m wrong, Greta, I’ll — you know, we’ll play this tape and you’ll get your points.
VAN SUSTEREN: At this point, I simply don’t know. But I’ll wait for the facts.
Too bad Bill won’t. And I’ll kiss his ass in Macy’s window if he actually recants and apologizes — not one of those “I’m sorry if you were offended” apologies, either — once those facts are known.
*I pray this wasn’t the case, but I say “most likely” based on oldest daughter’s social work experience.
Could Bill be….SATAN!? He really is the lowest of the low. I love the portion where he seems to blame Shawn Hornbeck piercings as some kind of proof the kid’s deviant.
Bill is the biggest false advocate of kids since Mark Foley.
Bill likes to pretend he’s some kind of serious journalist, but he’s no better than a shock jock, saying anything that he thinks will increase his ratings.
Him accepting captivity is not the same as compliance. Who knows what kind of threats held him there; we may never really know the scope of emotional and physical abuse he suffered. Mr. O’Reilly needs to do some research on child abuse and child molesters and the picture may become a bit clearer.
It’s interesting that the same week that O’Reilly’s show insulted the entire state of Vermont as child molesters, over a single family-based molestation case settled before trial, that he would make comments implying that a child can choose to be held captive and assaulted. I have actually had people tell me that “he could have escaped” or “well, some kids do want to get away from their parents.” I can’t tell you how angry O’Reilly and his ilk make me. He must not have any kids. I think some people watch too much television and can’t tell the difference between an 11 year old boy and McGyver.
Bill “Loofah” O’Reilly, to answer the question posed in the title, tends to surprise me sometimes. So yes, he CAN be a bigger douchebag. We just haven’t thought of a way for him to do it, yet.
Right, AB Mod. There’s always room for “improvement”!
The media are exploiting the kids shamelessly. Oprah may be genteel, but she still got Shawn Hornbeck to appear on her show. Leave him alone for a while! He’ll have plenty of time for publicity once the trial of his abductor starts.
Even if the kid DID like playing games all day instead of going to school, even if he liked having sex with the guy for God’s sake—okay, I’m just being ridiculous for the sake of the argument—someone who would kidnap an eleven-year-old is a contemptible, criminal—well, there aren’t words for it.
And yes Kathy, there isn’t any doubt in my mind either that there was sex. I will be delighted to be wrong. Maybe the kid hated his home life, and he and pizza guy were living in some kind of innocent video-game-filled fantasy world right out of the movie Big. I guess it will all come out at the trial.
“Mr. O’Reilly needs to do some research on child abuse and child molesters and the picture may become a bit clearer.”
Bill do research? Why would he pollute what passes for his mind with facts? It might make it marginally more difficult to spout BS all the time. I agree that the media need to leave these kids alone for a while, and I think this constant barrage of coverage is fueling the idea that an 11-year-old is somehow capable of plotting an escape with no fear of reprisal.
For Shawn’s sake, I’d like to think the entire four year period was an idyll of games, TV, and pizza — and I bet his parents would prefer that as well, even if that somehow implies that he “chose” to leave them, because the more realistic alternative is so horrific.
Bill redlines on the douchebaggery meter.
As a feminist, I must discourage the use of “douchebag,” an implement of traditional feminine hygiene, as a perjorative. Could we substitute a gender-neutral term, like “pusbag,” “dirtbag,” or “scumwad,” please? Thank you.
I thought about that, Del, and you’re right. There are plenty of good (or should I say bad?) descriptive terms I can substitute when speaking of O’Reilly.
Bill O’Reilly’s comments are inexcusable and he should ashamed of himself. What an ugly, horrible, and judemental thing to say. Instead of asking “why didn’t he just leave?” we need to ask ourselves “why didn’t we save him?”. We as a society failed this young man, and many like him, by looking the other way. Mr. O’Reilly, you are a sorry excuse for a human being.
Although if someone offered to take in my 13 year old son and let him watch ESPN all day, he might go willingly…
O’Reilly is living proof that god made more horse’s asses than horses.