So Mark Wahlberg wants a pardon for working a couple people over 20+ years ago and 2000+ miles from his home. A token, formal pardon for a crime he was convicted of and served his (arguably soft; but he was a young first offender) sentence. One of them he apparently fucked up pretty bad.
Naturally we are to be outraged. He’s a phony, he’s just trying to get publicity, he’s insincere, he didn’t give every cent he’s ever made to the guys he beat up…
Just to be “that guy” for a minute…How successful are felons a)required to be as part of “rehabilitation” and b) allowed to be before seeking rehabilitated status is insincere?
Now that this has happened and become a headline, what exact amount of money or what exact deed would mark him as repentant, but not insincerely so? Is it even possible to take normal moral action once you’re famous? Once you’re rich? if you hit a certain level, will a million given to charity always be interpreted as 360,000 off your taxes? If he were just a moderately successful general contractor now, would it be different?
Would the internet demand the sacrifice of Good Vibrations Earthmoving, LLC, in full, to the gods of the house of correction?
Some people we don’t forgive because they can’t get any publicity at all, and some people are unforgivable because they have too much…
Sorry, it’s scummy to beat people up, and I never liked the funky bunch, but I just watched gone girl and with the other events of the last two weeks, the intersection of fame, crime, punishment, forgiveness and the media is on my mind.