The above video, courtesy of The Onion, is an obviously satirical news report about gymnast Shawn Johnson, comparing her to a racehorse and saying that her parents decided to put her down after she suffered a knee injury. Just so we're clear, Shawn Johnson is not dead.
Geena Pilcher, a fellow gymnast and friend of Johnson, told the Des Moines Register, "It's sort of rude; it's just over the top." Johnson's publicist told the paper, "At this time there will be no comment from Shawn or her parents about the video."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)
6-17-2009 @ 9:16AM
MenoRikey said...
Lol, that is funny. People need to lighten up. "We never got to breed her".
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6-17-2009 @ 6:12PM
ldyrebeln said...
your right it is funny, but I think people are missing the real message here..I think, and I could be wrong..but with all the race horses being put down for leg injuries that are not life threatening, but do stop their racing are put down..that is what this video is compaired to. how silly it is to put down an animal who doesnt have a life threatening injury.
6-17-2009 @ 8:49PM
moodi546 said...
funny...butkind of sick at the same time. Why would anyone's parents go on TV and tell people that they had euthanized their daughter...even if they were just kidding?
6-18-2009 @ 7:40PM
Jess said...
THIS IS SOOO STUPID!!! i
6-22-2009 @ 3:09PM
apollo11go said...
What's funny is how inbread people find this funny. Maybe if enough generations of the inbread MenoRikey clan have their way nuclear war will be a joke too.
Now go bang your mother/sister......
6-17-2009 @ 9:42AM
mike said...
It amused me. It wasn't making fun of Shawn, just making fun of the way sports parents can seem a lot like horse owners.
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6-17-2009 @ 11:48AM
dtenore said...
Maybe The Onion should have invented a character for the bit. The young lady is taking it seriously, which is understandable... but the spoof is very funny.
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6-17-2009 @ 12:42PM
bradgnoyes said...
that is funny, plain and simple. if it upsets you, then the real problem is your own self-absorption.
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6-18-2009 @ 4:21PM
rlm208 said...
You JERK, how would you like to see your daughter in this video, STUPID JERK!!!!
6-22-2009 @ 2:54PM
apollo11go said...
Your mother fell and broke her hip so we shot her in the head to put her out of her misery.
Does that sound funny to you? You sick bastard!
6-17-2009 @ 2:08PM
grimslade5 said...
yeah not seeing the humor
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6-17-2009 @ 2:35PM
BaBi GuRl said...
i think thats prtty stu-id. is that real or fake??
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6-17-2009 @ 2:41PM
gballmichaels said...
That is just brilliant. Hysterical.
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6-17-2009 @ 2:41PM
annkayjay said...
Totally stupid. Not funny at all. LAME.
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6-17-2009 @ 9:23PM
Jocelyn said...
yah i agree wit u this isnt funny at all and there was no point of it i think the police should find out who started it
6-18-2009 @ 6:06PM
joglys4life said...
this is fake and RETARDED!
6-17-2009 @ 2:51PM
steve said...
grow a sense of humor already
some people are just hopeless
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6-17-2009 @ 9:54PM
syl1969 said...
You're right. Probably not smart enough to understand the joke. Must be hard for them to go through life...
6-17-2009 @ 2:56PM
Steve said...
Really, I don't see anything funny about this. there is a really lame attempt at humor, but NOT FUNNY. Those who do find it funny have a sock sense of humor.I think it should be pulled off the net , to show respect for the gymnast....
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6-17-2009 @ 4:35PM
Chris said...
It's not shock humor; it's satire, both of horse racing and of parents of young athletes. The Onion runs "stories" like this ALL THE TIME. They didn't do this "all for the publicity"; this is what they do. This is why people go to the website.
A similar story from The Onion pokes fun at Brett Favre, likening him to a beloved family dog that the Packers have "sent to live on a farm".
Grow a sense of humor, folks.