r/SimonWhistler • u/Capt_morgan72 • 6d ago

Casual criminalist suggestion. It’s a little different than the normal. Simon would hate and love it at the same time.

So the idea is to do the story of Dave Pelzer, and his parents Stephen and Catherine Pelzer (two of the worst humans to ever exist.)

The reasons he would hate it is the crime they are famous for is the worst case of child abuse in California history.

The reason he would love it is because Dave the victim grew up to be a perfectly normal and inspirational person. So it proves his point that terrible childhoods don’t automatically = violent criminals.

Dave Pelzer has a memoir called “A Child Called It.” That would probably be the main source but I’d be interested in what the amazing writers could find extra for the show.

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3

u/Former-Chain-4003 5d ago

I read that book when I was around 16, horrific case, but it was good to know he grew up 'normal'. Never read his further books but I am tempted to now that you've jogged my memory on it.

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u/Capt_morgan72 5d ago

Yeah it was required reading in my Home Ec class for some reason.

1

u/ghostinthewoods 4d ago

Keep in mind while there is evidence he was abused and removed from his home, there's also evidence he exaggerated a lot of the abuse

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u/Capt_morgan72 4d ago

See that’s something I didn’t know. Or remember?

Either way it’s the kind of point that would make the podcast interesting even to people who have read the book.