Jerk Dad terrifies stepson

[skunkworks]

This kid is too young to have this prank be funny. If he was older and better equipped emotionally to brush this sort of thing off, then I guess I might have laughed.

To be honest, I'm surprised that more posters aren't empathetic with the kid. Don't you guys remember what it was like to be that young? How awful it was to feel pure fear and terror? How embarrassed, ashamed, and powerless you felt when someone older toyed with you? The kid can't be older than 8 or 9, and you just don't do that to them when they're that young. That sort of fear causes your body to release all sorts of stress hormones.

I'm sure there are kids that could brush off a prank like this, and maybe those sorts of kids are the ones that grow up, watch this video, and say "That's not bad, it's funny." Do you think this particular kid was traumatized and taken advantage of? If not, are you basing this on the kid's emotions or are you basing it on your own beliefs (it's just harmless fun)?

[raisins]

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I don't think scaring your kid is that bad, but he should comfort him when he goes too far and really freaks the kid out.

However, robbing the child of his dignity by posting the video of him freaking out is seriously [censored] up.

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I don't think the video game necessarily provoked such an intense reaction. My guess is a big part of it came from seeing his stepfather holding the video camera and implicitly considering him and his startle and his reactions ridiculous. If the stepfather didn't have a camera when he did this and had then smiled at his stepson kindly his stepson's reaction would have likely been much smaller and I am sure it would have had minimal impact on their relationship or the kid's life in general.

raisins

[nation]

Doesn't matter either way...stepfather did a f'd up thing.

[gorie]

i laughed when i saw it, but it's one of those things where i know i shouldn't laugh but can't help it. i was laughing at the initial reaction (which to anyone who has seen one of those can relate to), but at the same time i think it's terrible that a parent would do something like that to their kid and i feel bad for him.

the worst part is afterward when he is crying and is looking to be comforted, and the dad just stands there with a camera not saying a word!! and you know his intention to post it online, which is really disturbing.

[Los Feliz Slim]

[ QUOTE ]
It's kinda hard to tell what it is, but it's a bunch of cows. Supposedly they're standing in front of a mountain of their own poo.

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I've always been under the impression that the poo is on fire, like the burning tires on "The Simpsons", but I could be mistaken. If it's not on fire, please don't tell me, I like it better this way.

[KudzuKing]

I don't see one ounce of humor in this.
It's sad and pathetic.

Some people should not be parents.

[Ness]

Thanks for the response, Blarg. While I still believe this situation is more of a mole hill than a mountain, I do find it interesting that this was a step parent.

[gorie]

villainaire's avatar needs one of those those scary scream endings...