I didn't read these things that way. I tend to think the punching story was an attempt at humor, and humor is often an expression of anxiety.
To take this on from a different angle, I think we all easily lose track of the human element of these situations when we're consuming media reports and interviews and leads, and because we're concerned, it puts us in a critical mode of thinking. But
this isn't just a woman standing next to a microphone trying to get some information across. That's a picture of courage, you know what I mean? That human being is at war with herself, probably low on sleep, probably physically sick because of her anxiety, probably without a lot of food in her, probably trying to focus her thought process while her brain continuously trails off. Charlie, in particular, has done so much press for this. If she comes across as weird, she's probably in a pretty weird frame of mind. I would be, too, if I googled my sister's name and a
picture of me crying came up with some lyrics written at the bottom. I completely understand what you're saying, but let's keep in mind this family is going through what will probably be the worst moments of their entire lives--and they're doing it publicly. Sometimes the message can get a little garbled because of the emotional stakes. That's why they have T-shirts to speak for them: all we care about is finding Mickey. That's all that really needs to be said. Anything else the family can offer through the media is done so out of courageous resilience and is an attempt to further convey that simple message: find Mickey. They deserve a free pass, in my opinion.
