Mark Wahlberg—A Douche Worth Forgiving

The 168 Turnaround: Jan. 15–21, 2012

In the world of douchebaggery, some say that actor Mark Wahlberg now reigns supreme.  I’m sure you know the guy—he starred in such films as The Fighter, The Other Guys, Boogie Nights (my favourite), and most recently Contraband.

As actors go, he’s a pretty talented fellow, though he has made a few stinkers (The Happening, etc.).  Still, Wahlberg has a lot going for him … except for maybe intelligence … or at least foresight, anyway.

In a cover story article for Men’s Journal, Wahlberg revealed that he and his family had been scheduled to fly on one of the planes that crashed into the Word Trade Centre on 9/11.  He then proceeded to explain how, had he been on that plane, he would have pulled a Clark Kent and saved the day.

Mark Wahlberg--see, he looks okay ... right?

“If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did,” Wahlberg explained.  “There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.’” (Click here to read more.)

Obviously, it was a douche thing to say.  After all, Wahlberg’s comments implied that the actual passengers on those planes just didn’t man-up and do what needed to be done.  In other words, it was their own damn fault they died.

And, as you can guess, his comments have not been well received.  I’m not sure I’d go so far (as others have) as to call it a “controversy,” but it’s a gaff if ever there was one.  And though his official apology is about as canned as they come, I think it’s about as much as he owes the public.

Look, I’m not trying to diminish the horrors of September 11, 2001.  The simple fact is that Wahlberg’s comments do not warrant outrage.  At the very most, we should all be rolling our eyes, perhaps even tut-tuting (for us dandy fellows who still do that, anyway).

At some point in our effort as a society to move past such tragedy, we must resist the temptation to pick the scab on old wounds.  Don’t even scratch an itch.  Just let it be.  Especially when the itch in this case is so trivial.

Yes, Mark Wahlberg made some silly comments, but let’s move on.  After all, in the world of douchebags, good old Marky Mark is pretty small potatoes.

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The 168 Turnaround is a week-in-review column, a place for me to reflect on the week’s most interesting pop culture news items.  If it mattered to me or I think it might matter to you, then it will be here.  If you have a comment or question, please leave a response below.  Thank you for reading.