Aaron Sorkin's 'scathing' attack on Sarah Palin's hunting hobby

In a full-throttle assault published in The Huffington Post, Aaron Sorkin calls Sarah Palin a &quot;phony pioneer girl.&quot;

(Image credit: Getty / TLC)

last updated 8 January 2015

Aaron Sorkin has entered into the debate over Sarah Palin's shooting of a caribou on her TLC reality show — and how. The creator of "The West Wing" has written a "scathing" piece at The Huffington Post berating Palin for killing animals "for fun" and for "political gain," labeling her both a "witless bully" and a "phony pioneer girl." He concludes: "Sarah Palin is deranged and The Learning Channel should be ashamed of itself." The Alaskan conservative has yet to respond to Sorkin's screed. Has the screenwriter (The Social Network) lost his sense of perspective?

There is much worse animal cruelty in the world: "Why is Aaron Sorkin wasting his formidable writing powers on this?" asks Glynnis MacNicol in Business Insider. If he really dislikes animal cruelty then he ought to write about slaughterhouses. Pumping a caged animal "full of antibiotics" is far worse than "shooting a caribou that's lived its life in the wild." Even when it's Sarah Palin doing it.

"Aaron Sorkin writes a ridiculously over-the-top response to Sarah Palin shooting a caribou"

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This isn't about hunting: "For a man that has likely made millions writing for television," writes Noel Sheppard in Newsbusters, Sorkin "apparently knows little about it." Palin is making a documentary about life in Alaska, where people hunt. And several channels feature hunting programs far worse than this. It's not animals he cares about, it's Palin. Sorkin just wants to express "his hatred for this woman."

"Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin compares Palin to Michael Vick: She makes snuff films"

He's trying to get a rise out of her: Sorkin is rarely diffident about airing his opinions, says Stephanie Vallejo in New York, but this might be "his most explicit and extravagant screed yet." Judging by the fact it's penned as a "direct address to Palin," and written in a "dismissive," swear-filled tone, "we think Sorkin might just be hoping for a response." Stay tuned.

"Now tell us what you really think of her, Aaron Sorkin"