dbyrer

So how did everyone enjoy reading about Ben Affleck seeming to blame his ex-wife (and kids!) for his drinking?

trailmix

I didn't actually see it that way. He said:

"We had a marriage that didn't work, this happens, with somebody that I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn't be married any longer," he said. "Ultimately, we tried. We tried, we tried because we had kids."

"I was like 'I can't leave 'cause of my kids, but I'm not happy, what do I do?'" Affleck said. "What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."

He felt trapped that they were trying to stay together because of the children, he was unhappy, so he drank. I didn't see it as blaming - more like - he was in a dark place and turned to drinking and that was a bad "solution" - ie: not a solution.

I wonder if she had said the same if anyone would see it differently, I suspect they would.

dbyrer

Good points Trail. Notice I said "seeming to" because the reports about the interview with Stern were used to make it look like that is what he had said. Many apparently took it that way because Affleck was on a talk show explaining that it is not what he meant. Seems a lot of people are familiar with the blame-shifting game. Glad to see that it seems this particular family is handling their issues better than Howard Stern wants the public to think.

sage1969

Well, Howard Stern has a reputation as a shock jock . . .

I've come to assume that whatever I see or hear in media about any person is most likely not even part of the story. It's another lesson in staying on my side of the street, and steering clear of pop culture.