Mike Tyson is a walking testament to the resiliency of humanity. You don’t find examples of people more imperfect than Mike Tyson, but beneath it all, he’s as tenderhearted as they come.
Mike’s recent string of admissions, everything from being a alcohol abuser to sharing the same drug dealer as the late Robin Williams, put a lot of his past in perspective with a most recent telling of his childhood abuse.
Mike was raised on the street. He recently suggested that he was “snatched,” while out and about as a child, and was then bullied and sexually abused by an older man. In Mike’s recollection, he was an old man–this being the memory relative to childhood.
Mike went on to say that he doesn’t know if the incident really had a lasting effect on him. He said that he wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed that it happened. According to Mike, “I just went on with my life.”
It’s always interesting to see people in an interview with Mike. They seem wary. Even those who know him well understand him to be volatile. But it’s fascinating to consider interviews, and instances in which Mike really flips his lid. They all seem to have something to do with his vulnerability. The recent interview with a Canadian TV anchor is a perfect example. Mike was open, excited to talk about his one man show, then the anchor started asking about Mike’s past convictions, and it turned into a verbal war. Almost as if Mike’s trust and vulnerability had been betrayed.
Did Mike’s childhood incident have an effect on his life afterwards? How could it not?