Hernandez Beaten, Abused as Child

[hondo in seattle]

On a thread somewhere, a fellow Bills fan said that CTE doesn't explain why Hernandez did what he did.  Lots of NFL players get concussions.  Most don't commit murder.

Now we're starting to get the rest of the story.  Hernandez didn't just suffer from CTE.  He was beaten and abused as a child. 

 

It doesn't excuse his crimes.  But it does help us understand them.  

 

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/15/us/aaron-hernandez-spotlight/index.html

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Just now, hondo in seattle said:

On a thread somewhere, a fellow Bills fan said that CTE doesn't explain why Hernandez did what he did.  Lots of NFL players get concussions.  Most don't commit murder.

Now we're starting to get the rest of the story.  Hernandez didn't just suffer from CTE.  He was beaten and abused as a child. 

 

It doesn't excuse his crimes.  But it does help us understand them.  

 

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/15/us/aaron-hernandez-spotlight/index.html

 

I really hate crap like this because why is it presented if it isn't intended as exculpatory?

 

Far too many people are beaten or abused as children and do not become conscienceless murderous monsters.  Child abuse doesn't explain what Hernandez did either.

[blitzboy54]

4 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I really hate crap like this because why is it presented if it isn't intended as exculpatory?

 

Far too many people are beaten or abused as children and do not become conscienceless murderous monsters.  Child abuse doesn't explain what Hernandez did either.

 

Of course it does.  Most dogs are friendly, all dogs that are trained to fight are abused.  If you are mean enough to anything they become something different.  Just because not everyone becomes a murderer doesn't mean it doesn't have an impact.

 

And acknowledging past abuse doesn't excuse it.  He can have a reason and not have an excuse.  Both can be true  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

33 minutes ago, blitzboy54 said:

 

Of course it does.  Most dogs are friendly, all dogs that are trained to fight are abused.  If you are mean enough to anything they become something different.  Just because not everyone becomes a murderer doesn't mean it doesn't have an impact.

 

And acknowledging past abuse doesn't excuse it.  He can have a reason and not have an excuse.  Both can be true  

 

I didn't say abuse doesn't have an effect.  Of course it does.

 

I just said it doesn't explain what Hernandez did.

 

 

 

 

[Teddy KGB]

There’s a thread on this off the wall two pages deep already. 

[dollars 2 donuts]

4 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I didn't say abuse doesn't have an effect.  Of course it does.

 

I just said it doesn't explain what Hernandez did.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know Hap.  I hear ya, but...man.  

 

Abused AND molested AND then losing even the abusive/guiding influence in your life...it is not an excuse, but maybe it explains a lot.

[Bangarang]

He was a scumbag who did scumbag things.

[seregil42]

I feel bad for Aaron Hernandez the child.  Aaron Hernandez the adult can rot.

[Mickey]

59 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I really hate crap like this because why is it presented if it isn't intended as exculpatory?

 

Far too many people are beaten or abused as children and do not become conscienceless murderous monsters.  Child abuse doesn't explain what Hernandez did either.

 

There is apparently a statistical association between child abuse and violent behavior in adulthood that can't be explained by chance. I agree that fact, if true, is not exculpatory. Hernandez, however he got to be the violent person he was, had the tools to get help to control that violence. 

[kbarrettb]

1 hour ago, hondo in seattle said:

On a thread somewhere, a fellow Bills fan said that CTE doesn't explain why Hernandez did what he did.  Lots of NFL players get concussions.  Most don't commit murder.

Now we're starting to get the rest of the story.  Hernandez didn't just suffer from CTE.  He was beaten and abused as a child. 

 

It doesn't excuse his crimes.  But it does help us understand them.  

 

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/15/us/aaron-hernandez-spotlight/index.html

 

 

So dumb. I don’t care if he was beaten or cte the guy was a piece of ***** at Florida a human piece of ***** and a piece of ***** in the nfl. There is no excuse for the type of piece of ***** he was 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I really hate crap like this because why is it presented if it isn't intended as exculpatory?

 

Far too many people are beaten or abused as children and do not become conscienceless murderous monsters.  Child abuse doesn't explain what Hernandez did either.

 

...isn't it the "new norm" to turn the perpetrator into a victim?........

[hondo in seattle]

40 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...isn't it the "new norm" to turn the perpetrator into a victim?........

 

Hopefully not - and it wasn't my intent at all.

 

Instead we need to understand the consequences of child beatings and molestation.  Some - certainly not all - of the kids getting abused will grow up to be violent.  I think the idea is to highlight the problem so we understand how important it is to solve.  

 

Hernandez deserved to be convicted and jailed.   The question is how to avoid future cases like this.  

[TSOL]

I would imagine the majority of us on the thread had mostly normal, wholesome, and decent upbringings.

 

Never judge a man until you walk a mile in his moccasins 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Mickey said:

 

There is apparently a statistical association between child abuse and violent behavior in adulthood that can't be explained by chance. I agree that fact, if true, is not exculpatory. Hernandez, however he got to be the violent person he was, had the tools to get help to control that violence. 

 

I believe there's an association when you look at the population of violent adult offenders and ask "how many of them were abused as children?"

 

But what is the control group, that is the question?

[TigerJ]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I really hate crap like this because why is it presented if it isn't intended as exculpatory?

 

Far too many people are beaten or abused as children and do not become conscienceless murderous monsters.  Child abuse doesn't explain what Hernandez did either.

It's a complicated picture.  A percentage of persons who suffer extreme abuse and neglect develop a condition called reactive attachment disorder.   In adulthood this is very closely related to something called borderline personality disorder.  Persons who have it certainly have to bear responsibility for actions they take, but they are still victims of the abuse of their childhood.  I am the adoptive parent of a 20 year old, who is a classic case of reactive attachment/borderline personality disorder.  We speak to her repeatedly about taking responsibility for choices she makes every day.  Persons who have it can recover and live relatively normal lives, but sadly, many don't.  A significant number end up in prison, and some have made the news over the years for having committed some of the most horrific acts of violence society has ever witnessed.

[Jpsredemption]

1 hour ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...isn't it the "new norm" to turn the perpetrator into a victim?........

Yes. We live in an excuse ridden society..esp when it comes to less significant outcomes.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

27 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

Hopefully not - and it wasn't my intent at all.

 

Instead we need to understand the consequences of child beatings and molestation.  Some - certainly not all - of the kids getting abused will grow up to be violent.  I think the idea is to highlight the problem so we understand how important it is to solve.  

 

Hernandez deserved to be convicted and jailed.   The question is how to avoid future cases like this.  

 

..sorry for the confusion.......I was just making a generic comment and not questioning your intent....we're good bud.......

[mrags]

More excuses for the gang member murderer. Awesome. 

 

At some point, people are accountable for their own actions. Regardless how bad this kid was beaten. Raped. Abused. It doesn’t matter. He was a grown man. Making millions of dollars and had everything accessible to him to better himself. Yet he chose to continue to be a gang member and murderer. I hope the worms and maggots are raping his dead corpse as we speak. 

[Royale with Cheese]

I was watching a documentary about serial killers.  I think it was something like 95% of them were abused as kids.  

Hernandez seems to add to that stat.

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I was watching a documentary about serial killers.  I think it was something like 95% of them were abused as kids.  

Hernandez seems to add to that stat.

 

So what's it up to?  95.1%