Follow up to computer shooting Dad.

[TalkingDog]

He didn't handle it the way I would have, but he seems to have a bit more sense than people are giving him credit for.

http://www.litefm.com/pages/news-story.html?feed=421220&article=9744152

Q: How did your daughter respond to the video and to what happened to her laptop?

A: She responded to the video with “I can’t believe you shot my computer!” That was the first thing she said when she found out about it. Then we sat and we talked for quite a long while on the back patio about the things she did, the things I did in response, etc.

Later after she’d had time to process it and I’d had time to process her thoughts on the matters we discussed, we were back to a semi-truce… you know that uncomfortable moment when you’re in the kitchen with your child after an argument and you’re both waiting to see which one’s going to cave in and resume normal conversation first? Yeah, that moment. I told her about the video response and about it going viral and about the consequences it could have on our family for the next couple of days and asked if she wanted to see some of the comments people had made. After the first few hundred comments, she was astounded with the responses.

People were telling her she was going to commit suicide, commit a gun-related crime, become a drug addict, drop out of school, get pregnant on purpose, and become a stripper because she’s too emotionally damaged now to be a productive member of society. Apparently stripper was the job-choice of most of the commenters. Her response was “Dude… it’s only a computer. I mean, yeah I’m mad but pfft.” She actually asked me to post a comment on one of the threads (and I did) asking what other job fields the victims of laptop-homicide were eligible for because she wasn’t too keen on the stripping thing.

[LadyHawkAZ]

1. Not really on the sense part

The guy can't seem to get his head around the idea that he did anything wrong- his main concern seems to be that it's brought attention to himself.

I love how he's ALLOWING her to speak to social services. Great, big red flag there.

[TalkingDog]

2. I missed the part about Social Services. Where is it in the text?

I looked for it but couldn't find it.

[LadyHawkAZ]

4. Another post, newer

http://www.facebook.com/tommyjordaniii

"I'm ok with you picking on me. And I'm ok with you picking on my posts, but I'm NOT ok with you picking on my kid. Yes, I've already dealt with the local police, who by the way said "From our entire department, Kudo's to you, sir."

Now I'm letting my daughter have her interview with Social Services, so they too can be satisfied that I don't yell at her, beat her, traumatize her, lock her in a closet without food, deprive her of basic human rights, make her cut the grass with scizzors, hunt for her meals in the wild with only a spork, or otherwise fail to provide for my daughter. She's great. She's strong. And apparently she's handling it better than some of you are."

[HuckleB]

6. Oh great. The police are praising crap parenting?

[former9thward]

34. The police are praising good parenting.

Everyday they see the results of crap parenting.

[HuckleB]

45. What?

Parenting by posting a "look at me" video on youtube is good parenting?

Please stop now.

Sheesh.

[former9thward]

102. You may wish to stop, I'm not.

What he did was correct given his lazy daughter.

[HuckleB]

8. Or maybe she's in on the whole thing.

The first thing I thought about when I saw this video was that it seemed like another "Balloon Boy" attempt.

Ugh.

[Redstate Bluegirl]

10. Notice how that list DIDN"T include "molesting her"?

This guy smells worse and worse!

[Brickbat]

12. No, but I TOTALLY noticed how YOU brought it up!

OMG, what could that MEAN about YOU?

[tammywammy]

75. Here's a much longer excerpt of what he wrote about CPS

Apparently both the local police and the department of social services are OK with it. Yes they came. Of course they came. They received enough "Oh my god he's going to kill his daughter" comments that they had to. I knew that the moment it went viral.. it was too late and it was inevitable. I'm only surprised it took as long as it did to be honest.

The police by the way said "Kudos, Sir" and most of them made their kids watch it. I actually had a "thank you" from an entire detectives squad. And another police officer is using it in a positive manner in his presentation for the school system. How's about those apples? Didn't expect THAT when you called the cops did you?

The kind lady from Child Protective Services looked all through the house, the yard, and found ours to be a healthy home. She saw the unloaded guns in their rack with the magazines removed and stored separately and safely. Funny thing: The case officer asked to see "the gun".... "Umm, sir, may I see the actual..umm.. weapon used for the video?" She wasn't at all scared of me but I could tell she doesn't like guns as a general rule. To each their own though. She was comfortable that I was adhering to NC gun safety regulations for the protection of minors, and that's all she needed. But of course if you want to continue, I'm just going to leave a pot of coffee on for the next officers who come by. (Digress: Maybe I can get Krispy Kreme to sponsor me with lifetime donuts? Oh God that would be heaven. Dunkin? Crap... KK all the way....)

She asked if I minded if she interviewed my daughter privately but that I didn't have to agree. I let her meet in private and then she and I met for about an hour and a half. At the end of the day, no I'm not losing my kids, no one's in danger of being ripped from our home that I know of, and I actually got to spend some time with the nice lady and learn some cool parenting tips that I didn't know.. I use them on my 8 year old son, but not on my fifteen year old daughter.. but now I will! There were a few things I thought she was "too old" for, but after talking to the case worker, I feel like it's worth a shot to try them. Maybe I'll sell those secrets in my next book! (Seriously? You just got mad didn't you? I'm kidding. Besides, that would still only give me two pages of material- one parent tip page and one page on handgun selection techniques appropriate for different electronic destructive purposes.)

https://www.facebook.com/tommyjordaniii

[Kookaburra]

37. That was my thought as well LadyHawk

When I first saw that ridiculous video I thought that he was just doing it so he could get a video to go viral. He might act like he doesn't like the attention, but if you scratch that surface just a little bit, I'm guessing you'll find that he's loving every minute of it.

Yes, what the kid posted wasn't nice, and it did sound spoiled and disrespectful, but she's a teenager, for crying out loud. That's their job to feel put upon by their families and resentful of being "pushed around" by their parents and basically little annoying beasts because their impulse control is not yet developed.

The father, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten his impulse control as well. How hard would it have been to simply take away the laptop and donate to a charity? Not very hard at all, but then he wouldn't have been able to show the world his 45.

[Zalatix]

86. Give the laptop to CHARITY? Why, that's not the MANLY way to do things.

[REP]

3. If that's really what the daughter said ... I'm liking this kid

I hope she really said those things, because she sounds smart and funny.

I don't know them and their family dynamic - I know people for whom this sort of thing would either be perfectly okay or a big red warning flag - so I won't comment, but for her sake, I wish them the best.

[seabeyond]

9. after reading this, it makes me want to see what all the "to do" is about. i didnt go into the

first thread/s on this issue. so not sure how out there a parent went. i am generally all for a parent doing his best giving leeway, with a teen, as long as there are boundaries. i am kinda curious now. need to see what the fuss is about

[arely staircase]

11. i'd like to know what you think too

we may be in complete disagreement or not. i know that i thought the guy remeinded me of my own dad - who was never violent or abusive to any of us - but was given to showy eccentricity from time to time, like this guy. i think the fact a gun was involved at all freaked some people out; i think how people view that part is very much cultural by region.

this girl's reaction leads me to believe i was more right than wrong in my assessment of the family dynamics. given the girl's response i might back off on calling her a brat like i did. in fact they now remind me even more of my own family.

i think some people really rushed to judge some people they didn't know.

[seabeyond]

51. post 50

i am going to have to agree with you. gave opinion in post 50

[riderinthestorm]

15. Be sure to watch the un-edited version. nt

[seabeyond]

17. do you know of any way i can find it? nt

[riderinthestorm]

28. Here you go.

http://www.litefm.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=421220&article=9738000

[seabeyond]

50. you know why i did not go into that thread and watch that video

(i have teenagers)

i figured i wouldnt be outraged like others were. really, i LOVED the guy.

i can see me all over what that guy was doing. lol. when he was reading the letter, i thought, she does ALL that? really? geez. my kids dont. talking about getting a job. i hear him... i really hear him thru all of it. not thrilled with the gun thing, cause i dont like guns. but, if i was not so old, i can see me jumping on the thing. actually, i tell kids if i find ANYTHING i dont like on the puter (i have been telling them about 4 years now), i would yank everything out of wall and literally throw it out of the house. i would. they know i would. they know there is no privacy. lol. and their dad..... is an IT guy, lol.

i loved it.

am i going to be in trouble? i havent read how the other thread on judging parents have gone.

[riderinthestorm]

54. LOL!! Put on your flame suit and prepare for action!!

You know I just can't judge the guy. I said it on another post, I've just got too much crap going on with my teen to be able to see anything clearly at the moment.

That said, I did freely confess on the other thread that I've trashed a couple of her things so there's that.

[seabeyond]

57. my oldest has told me in some ways i am the hardest, toughest mom out of all his friends, he says,

but, in other ways i am the easiest most mellow mom out of all his friends.

and he is right. it is hard to explain, but

mistakes, i am so cool with. we discuss. generally does not go beyond. i listen. i understand. i am patient.

disrespect.... or the few rules that are so important, and they know them.... that is it. clear, strong line, go over..... the end of their world as they know it.

and my boys really think they have it pretty easy. they get why i have the lines where i do and the reason they are there.

though... one is only 14. cant say too much yet with him. the one almost 17, i am about done, so ok there. lol.

[HuckleB]

59. Almost all of them push those lines.

That's their job. It's your job to see though them.

[seabeyond]

65. see, it is comments like that. that is their job. no. there job is to develop into worthwhile

adults... that is what their teenage years are about. that is their job.

[HuckleB]

66. Yes, it is.

And sometimes they show frustration, just like adults.

They may not show it in the right way, but that doesn't justify adults acting like even smaller children in response.

Sheesh.

[seabeyond]

70. no, it isnt. and the child was told repeatedly what was allowed in the use of facebook

it goes beyond that letter. the children must learn that typed text matters and is there always. they better damn well learn this.....

you gonna do something so stupid, better say it verbally and not all text out.

lesson learned.

[HuckleB]

73. That's his claim.

No one knows the reality, or what else has happened that would lead this kid to break the rules, etc... This guy posted this crap on facebook. That tells us all that he is not a good parent. Yet, you want to defend him?

Get a clue.

[riderinthestorm]

78. Exactly. Nobody knows the reality. nt

[seabeyond]

81. oh, whatever. people are flippin with what they saw, taking it at face value. if it is all a lie

then that is a different story.

[HuckleB]

58. You can't judge a guy for parenting by youtube?

Really?

Yikes.

[riderinthestorm]

68. Nope. We do not have enough information.

HuckleB, I have an off-the-rails 15 year old and am going through a terrible year with her. I simply can't find it in my heart to trash this guy. I've told the story of what's going on in our lives on a couple of these threads already and I'm not going to repeat it here but suffice it to say that I've trashed a couple of my daughter's "things". I've felt that deep frustration and horrified anger at her. I'm not into shooting or guns or any of that stuff but I've definitely done some destroying.... "Talking" things out wasn't even possible. Probably still isn't possible (yet) in our family. Perhaps some day that will happen but I just don't know.

I never in my life thought I'd be in this place with my beautiful, talented, intelligent daughter (since I hadn't ever been there with her older sister).

But here we are.

I know, I get it, the guy invited us into the situation via Facebook. That's fine. I still just simply can't summon the panic button about him and his actions.

[HuckleB]

71. Pure hogwash.

If you're posting a punishment on youtube, then your parenting sucks. You've made it about you, and not about what is right.

This is basic.

[HuckleB]

56. So you think parenting by youtube is ok?

Really?

Yikes.

All the kid did is mouth off to her friends. If you think your kids don't do that, then, well, WOW!

This guy is an attention seeking scumbag. Posting this video explains a lot about why his daughter would complain about him.

Further, you only know his side of the story. I've know far too many smooth talking parents in my lifetime. Often, the kids are the ones who are on top of things.

Please step back, and rethink what this guy did, and what it means for true parents and their relationships with their kids.

[seabeyond]

62. oh bull.... firstly, it went onto the face book to go back to the kids friends and possibly

parent. hopefully parents monitor their kids facebook activity, but i doubt many do. we have had more issue in my sons highschool with his friends and their facebooks. bringing in parents, other schools principles. it is all stupid.

neither of my kids use facebook. we dont allow. they get why we dont allow.

no... i dont think all kids talk that way about their parents. another thing my kids and i have always talked about. the societal expectation of the very worst of who our kids are. i didnt talk about my parents that way. i never had the need. i never felt the need. i didnt do it, that simple. it is not a teen thing, it is a society that tells our kids thru their shows what teens are.... this garbage.

whch takes me to another point. my kids never watched those shows. i had nieces that did. they kids were younger. we would talk about the shows and the conditioning of our teens behavior that they were suppose to battle parents. doesnt have to be. wasnt with me. not a teen behavior, but a societal conditioning in our shows today.

next.... the kids side of the story? ya. i heard it. in the letter. do you really think i am going ot buy the kids story. oh, my, i work from sun up to sun down. i love the part about getting a job. he brought hime the app and she never took it in. HEY..... happened just like that with my son. seems about par to me.

[HuckleB]

64. That's whole load of justification for something that is sick at its best.

Try again.

And again, you buy the story of a guy who seeks attention for himself on youtube and everywhere else, but you can dismiss the rest of the story because, wait, why again?

Hello?

Knock. Knock.

[seabeyond]

67. bullshit. it is a whole lot of parenting that most parents dont take the time to do

did you address anything we do in our home, that has taken so much time and so many years, in developing character, knowledge adn tools so they wont have to fall back on societal conditioned behaviors given to them that will just cause challenges and chaos in their lives.

that was a post of parenting.

that is kids jobs to challenge those lines.... is lazy parenting.

[HuckleB]

69. Way to try to distract from your support for this sick parent.

Pitiful.

Lazy parenting is posting a video on youtube.

Hello? AGAIN! What a bunch of black on white BS.

[seabeyond]

72. i dont think so. i think the video was only the beginning. far beyond the lazy parent

the lazy parent is the one tht says it is the kids job to push the line.

[HuckleB]

74. If posting a video on youtube isn't indicative of bad parenting, then we're all in big trouble.

[seabeyond]

79. parenting.... i had both my boys watch the video. then we had a discussion about the video

Last edited Sat Feb 11, 2012, 10:41 PM - Edit history (1)

the behavior of the child, her actions and what she wrote in the paper, the extreme and inappropriate disrespect. her having a friggin IT father and doing something so stupid... my boys father is IT. a reminder there is nothing they can get away with, and a reminder of what i would do with ALL there stuff, regardless of the money we spent.

see,

it was all good.

i got to use the man as a lesson for my boys

thank you dad.....

my youngest thought it was very very good parenting, the best. my oldest thought putting it up on facebook a bit extreme but he wasnt too impressed with daughters behavior.

[arely staircase]

13. this is as i suspected, just the girl seems less bratty to me now. nt

[HuckleB]

5. Hogwash.

This guy is clearly seeking undue attention, and trying to put it off as "parenting."

There is no excuse for such behavior. It ought to tell everyone that the real story is yet to be told.

[Brickbat]

7. I find it amazing that so many people see so many different things in this story.

Not surprising, of course, but amazing.

[lumberjack_jeff]

14. I suspect the main differentiator is whether you're a parent or not.

If your experience with family life is limited to having once been a teen, you'll see it one way. If your experience with family life also includes being a parent of a teen, you're more likely to see it another way.

[LadyHawkAZ]

16. I raised four girls

at the time I took over, they were 3, 4, 7 and 12. They are now 19, 20, 23 and 27. And I still think this guy is an immature, violent, controlling douchebag.

[HuckleB]

19. Exactly!!!

[HuckleB]

18. Are you serious?

You think it's ok to post this BS on youtube?

You think this guy, who is so thin-skinned that he can't just let a kid rant to her friends, is a good parent?

Really?

[lumberjack_jeff]

23. Are you talking to me?

It sounds like you're talking to someone who said either of those things.

Maybe it's the voices again, you'd better get that checked out.

[HuckleB]

32. If that's not what you're saying, then clarify it.

[lumberjack_jeff]

33. Post 29. n/t

[HuckleB]

42. In other words, my assumption was correct.

Thanks for the clarification.

I know zero real world parents who identify with this dufus in any way shape or form.

All his kid did was what kids have been doing for all of history. His thin skin shows that he has no business being a parent.

[lumberjack_jeff]

85. I guess straw-man is the only language that some people are fluent in. n/t

[HuckleB]

98. Really?

Do you even know what a straw man is?

I only ask because the straw man is all you seem to offer up at DU.

WOW!

[lumberjack_jeff]

101. Enjoy your break.

Take your time.

[Brickbat]

20. Yeah, I think that's one, but not the only one. People see what they want to see, I guess.

[HuckleB]

21. You mean, we see a guy who clearly wants attention, posting a ridiculous video on youtube?

How is that just "what they want to see?"

Seriously. Step back, and think.

[Brickbat]

24. That's what you see.

And honestly, that's what I thought I would see, before I saw the video. After I saw the video I cracked up.

[HuckleB]

31. That's what I saw when I saw the video.

That's what everyone I know in real life saw, too.

That's what is.

[Brickbat]

35. That's not what I saw when I saw the video.

About half of the people I know in real life who have seen the video saw what you saw, and half saw what I saw.

[HuckleB]

41. That's quite sad.

Parenting by youtube is much worse than sad. It's sick.

[Brickbat]

46. No need to be sad.

We're all doing just fine, thanks, as are our kids.

[HuckleB]

49. Lucky kids.

Or so you say.

Seriously, get a clue.

[Brickbat]

52. "Or so you say."

Dun dun DUUUUHHHHHHN.

[HuckleB]

53. Well, everyone is going by what this dufus dad says.

No one knows anything else.

Try again.

[Brickbat]

61. "Try again"? To do what? Convince you I'm a good parent? Convince you that the dad in the video

has done no harm to his daughter? It's clearly not going to happen. I'm getting kind of tired of this dance, frankly, and I think you are too.

[HuckleB]

63. If you think this guy is ok, well...

[Brickbat]

80. Back at square one.

Have a good rest of the weekend.

[Fumesucker]

25. I raised a teen and never once found it necessary to execute her possessions.

I wonder if he gave the laptop a cigarette and a blindfold?

Speaking as at least a semi-redneck shooting a kid's computer is a bit over the top and smacks more than a little of "Hold m' beer n' watch this"..

[lumberjack_jeff]

29. Very few people will emulate what he did.

Many parents watch the video and can empathize with the frustration.

I can remember how angry one of my best friends was at his dad for selling his motorcycle after the kid did some off-roading in the local cemetery (he found out because the kid broke the bike on a headstone). I thought his dad was a big poopy-head jackass until my own kids became teens. Funny how that works.

Not every kid is like your kid. I've had three sons and they are more unlike one another as I could have imagined possible. Only #2 made me empathetic to "crazy gun guy".

[Fumesucker]

36. There's frustration and then there's acting like a jackass..

Deliberately shooting a perfectly good computer falls into the being a jackass end of the spectrum..

My brother and I were born mischief makers and he was severely ADD, a real handful.

I don't recall any parental gunfire in our childhoods either, I'll ask him tomorrow.

[lumberjack_jeff]

38. Better yet, ask your dad to watch the video.

Parental gunfire or not, my nickel bet is that his response will be a chuckle.

[HuckleB]

43. Wow!

This isn't comedy.

[lumberjack_jeff]

83. Sure it is.

The only one butt-hurt is you.

No dolphins were harmed making that video.

[HuckleB]

93. And the guy's kid.

And every kid of every dufus parent who thinks he's the bees knees.

Are you this out to lunch?

[riderinthestorm]

94. I tried to send you a PM but it bounced back. Sorry, I should have asked first. nt

[HuckleB]

97. If it bounced back, it's likely your own fingers causing the problem.

Now, try to check in to the real world.

Thanks.

[riderinthestorm]

99. Oh, okay. I'll try again. My story IS the real world.

Edited to add, I just re-sent it..

[hack89]

104. Half the parents I know think it was funny

of the rest, only a small minority thought it was abuse. And these are all educated professionals.

[Fumesucker]

84. Well, it certainly succeeded in its purpose..

Attracting a lot of attention.

[OKNancy]

26. I think it depends on if you were raised in a family with unreal expectations

of what teens ought to do and be like. I am a parent of two females, now adults.
I told them their job was to go to school, make good grades, and not get into trouble.

My whole problem with this thing is what made her write her facebook post in the first place.
I know as a child and teen, it pissed me off that I had to clean pipe tobacco off the floor and everywhere else, and other crap jobs that shouldn't be the responsibility of a child. There is more, but that is something that stick out to me.
The pissed off feelings carried over into adulthood for me. I'm 63 years old and still get those feeling of hate inside.

Instead of mimicking my childhood, I did a 180. My girls are loving, successful and close to me.

[Missy Vixen]

30. Gosh, thanks for the generalization

I grew up in an extremely abusive household. So did my husband.

Don't tell me what I "see" or "don't see", unless you'd like me to return the favor...

[JI7]

22. we don't know much about this family, if the guy was a true abusive type

i'm guessing he wouldn't put himself out like that where everyone can see it.

they are both maybe kind of attention whore types. but probably pretty normal .

i am more creeped out by the guys who marrying their daughters and promise of virginity and shit like that.

[LadyHawkAZ]

88. Abusive types will brag to anyone who will listen

as long as they are not the authorities. They will lie their ass off to the police or CPS. You have to remember, they don't think they are doing anything wrong- it's the big bad government trying to tell THEM how to raise THEIR kids (or treat THEIR spouse) that's in the wrong.

I can remember my ex bragging to friends about how hitting the kids in the head left no visible marks- no marks = no proof. The multiple times that CPS checked him out, he went into a very convincing hand-wringing spiel about how he only ever used open hand on the rear, and people were just out to get him for being a single dad. They fell for it every time, too.

[EFerrari]

91. Yes. They learn to cover their tracks AND to get mileage out of their abusiveness.

And this whole episode makes me think this isn't this guy's first run. He's got it down to the point where he's making videos about his episodes and is spinning them in the press.

[EFerrari]

27. He is an abusive violent asshole who is manipulating the situation

to make himself out to be the victimized good daddy.

He should get a visit from CPS.

[Terra Alta]

39. the more I read of this guy's FB posts, the more I think

he's nothing but a right-wing asshole. In one very lengthy post, he disses the public school system, calls Obama an idiot for signing a law not allowing anyone under 18 to work with dangerous farm animals, and bemoans that kids under 15 can't work at all. This is about more than just shooting a laptop -- I think this guy seriously wants to be the next Joe the Plumber. Hopefully his 15 minutes are almost up.

[Swede]

40. Here is one of four pictures from his facebook page.

[HuckleB]

44. I'm shocked.

Shocked!

[riderinthestorm]

47. You know, I asked on one of the other threads about whether he just likes to shoot shit

My neighbor does. Washing machines, microwaves (dying appliances he likes to "kill&quot . He's not violent but he likes to shoot... things.

Some of his friends come over and they bring stuff to shoot - they think it's "fun". I asked in the other thread if this may just be a culture gap thing - maybe this guy just likes to shoot stuff. Shooting the laptop is just part of what he and his friends do (as well as reputedly "teaching" his daughter a lesson about computer use).

Disclaimer - I don't shoot, never have. I don't pretend to understand the impulse to shoot stuff and not passing judgment on the guy. Just wondering aloud....

[Upton]

55. So?

Is the fact that he owns a gun and likes to shoot supposed to mean something?

[HuckleB]

60. Is the fact that he thinks posting a video on youtube because his daughter badmouthed him ...

... on facebook supposed to mean something?

Oh, wait. It does. It shows that he is a thin-skinned, attention seeking scumbag.

[Terra Alta]

76. it's that he shows his kids it's okay to use a gun to destroy something

that is still perfectly usable, instead of say, donating it to charity.

Yes, I know he was only trying to teach his daughter a lesson, but I think he did more harm than good. Shooting objects that are very valuable and very usable is not a good example to set.

[Occulus]

89. if he'd *really* wanted to make a point he'd have given it to one of her friends

with instructions to be seen using it. Daily.

I don't like what this guy did, for a variety of reasons.

[hack89]

105. It's the belt buckle that gives it away - good catch. nt

[riderinthestorm]

48. +1. nt

[HuckleB]

77. All right. I give up.

I need a break from DU. I cannot fathom the number of DUers who support this sick bastard "father."

It really makes me wonder.

Bye.

[TalkingDog]

87. Good Riddance. We need fewer people who jump to conclusions based on flimsy info.

I didn't say I supported him. In fact I said: I wouldn't do it the way he did. But I haven't sought out information on the guy's facebook page either.

I ran across this news story and thought it was a different view of the guy.

[2ndAmForComputers]

90. The info is NOT flimsy.

Idiot Dad saw fit for everybody to have enough info to judge his idiocy.

And I judge it as "high."

[EFerrari]

92. My judgment is clouded by having lived with a violent, manipulative husband

who was good at covering his traces to the point where people would feel sorry for him even though he had 125 lbs and a foot of height on me. He would have loved to be able to spin his out of control behavior on FB, let alone, make himself look good in the press. Which, he did, btw. I probably shouldn't even read these stories or post to these threads.

[riderinthestorm]

95. I am sooo sorry EFerrari! I completely understand where you are coming from

My point is that we "see" videos like this through our own personal lens.

I hope you are okay now and in a safe place....

[Honeycombe8]

82. Good. I didn't think what he'd done was bad. Hey, bad is when your dad beats the crap out of you.

That's what my dad would've done. Which would not have been a good thing.

But all he did was tell her what she'd done wrong & break her computer. (I would've wiped the hard drive & given it to charity, rather than destroy a costly piece of electronics, but that's me.) Sure, he used a gun, from I grew up around guns & don't find that alarming.

[TheManInTheMac]

96. I just thought it was funny. She needed taught, and Dad took her to school.

[Jello Biafra]

100. I get this now.......

If you are a RW freeper, teabagger, who's afraid that Obama is going to take your weapons away from you...this is an example of great parenting.

If you are LW liberal, who is all for gun control, this is an example of very bad parenting.

I'm a progressive, so what I saw on the video didn't look so progressive to me.....as a parent, certain things have changed about parenting since I was a kid. There is supposed to be more collaboration now in the family and this is something we try to advocate...the family is a team and WE ALL have to do our part to get things done

IMO, there are three sides of the story....his side, her side, and the truth. The girl posting that stuff on FB from where I'm standing is shouting a plea of help. The trigger happy father didn't seem to tell everything that she was making this girl do...otherwise we wouldn't be here today discussing this.

As an IT person....I can share one thing that I tell my co-workers about how to effectively work...you may have all these tools to do you job better...but there is no substitution for communication. There is no substitution for communication in families either. Successful families communicate and collaborate. We fail sometimes in our family...but we work on it.....and we don't give up on it....and we don't embarrass our family members on FB or DU either......something to be said for that.....

I'm off my soapbox now.....

[Paladin]

103. Well Said.

There are individuals who defend virtually any use of firearms, no matter how out-of-line or even illegal. Daily proof of this is available in the DU Gun Control/RKBA Group. And for the record, I own a number of guns, and my wife and I raised a couple of children who have turned out really well. What this guy did was completely wrong, utterly indefensible. Getting through the teenage years is sometimes tough, no doubt---but you sure as hell don't have to resort to pointless, hyper-macho gunplay to accomplish the task.