Kid Destroys Dollar Store

This story is tragic. Who is the real victim? This video incites powerful negative emotions but I say they are misdirected.

Imagine being the child of poor parents, being bombarded with insane materialism at this corrupted time of the year knowing you aren't getting dick for Christmas. You might be angry.

I see the kid as the victim of a system where we are conditioned to measure our value as human beings by our material possessions. Yet the financial system has become so one-sided that the majority of Americans receive some kind of financial aid.

The system is broken. Greed is a disease. Let's not put poor people in jail. Its the ultra rich who need behavior modification. They must realize that they won't be able to pit us against each other for much longer. They can't put us all in jail or FEMA camps.

Equity must return. Justice must be restored. Jail the Bush crime syndicate, most of congress, half the supreme court and things will begin to move in the right direction.

We are the saviors we've been waiting for.

originally posted by: AccessDenied
I'm gonna go against the grain here. I don't see a child that needs punishment. I see a child screaming for help. He acted out to get attention,and likely due to feeling unheard at home. Hearing him call the guy holding him down STUPID instantly made me think he has had that yelled at him and had no fear to yell it out at others. Somebody broke this kid inside and it manifested outside. I feel sorry for him.

Feeling sorry for him won't stop him from robbing and killing someone 10 years from now. He needs a serious attitude adjustment, no matter the origin of his "acting-out". He needs to understand that it will not be tolerated. Period. This notion that has evolved that any behavior must be tolerated because the person exhibiting the behavior was neglected or abused has led to what? More of the same behavior. That approach does not work.

originally posted by: mcChoodles
This story is tragic. Who is the real victim?

Obviously, the real victims are the store owners and employees.

Another member of the FFA... No, not Future Farmers of America. Future Felons of America.

The worst part is yet to come. Other young hooligans and wannabe thugs are going to see this video and try to imitate the destruction, or even do worse. The issue isn't this kid or his parenting (or lack thereof), but deeply rooted in our society.

a reply to: Tangerine

Don't believe I stated my feelings toward him would in any way help him or create a better path in his life. Nor did I say his behavior was to be tolerated. Please read my second post in this thread.

a reply to: Tangerine

I don't feel that accessdenied is suggesting that we tolerate or further enable the unacceptable behaviour of this child. She (?) is merely stating her compassion for him and that there is another way the advance him than just the "whupping" that was previously being advocated.

There is likely a root cause in the way the child is treated at home - no discipline (and discipline does not only need to involve physical punishment), no understanding, no love.

I've worked with some real terrors, often victims of horrific treatment themselves and usually neglect at the very least and have often had to use physical, non pain restraints at the height of acting out , sure - for the safety of the child and others... but gaining the kid's trust and showing that you can help them to be happy, communicate effectively, form friendships/interact appropriately with others without getting in deep s### all the time, broadening their horizons and demonstrating that you can aid them in reaching subsequent new goals and thus advancing their life is far more powerful than mere punishment.

This then genuinely helps the kid and society as a whole, it's a win-win but just requires more work and a deeper engagement with the child in question.

originally posted by: skalla
a reply to: Tangerine

I don't feel that accessdenied is suggesting that we tolerate or further enable the unacceptable behaviour of this child. She (?) is merely stating her compassion for him and that there is another way the advance him than just the "whupping" that was previously being advocated.

There is likely a root cause in the way the child is treated at home - no discipline (and discipline does not only need to involve physical punishment), no understanding, no love.

I've worked with some real terrors, often victims of horrific treatment themselves and usually neglect at the very least and have often had to use physical, non pain restraints at the height of acting out , sure - for the safety of the child and others... but gaining the kid's trust and showing that you can help them to be happy, communicate effectively, form friendships/interact appropriately with others without getting in deep s### all the time, broadening their horizons and demonstrating that you can aid them in reaching subsequent new goals and thus advancing their life is far more powerful than mere punishment.

This then genuinely helps the kid and society as a whole, it's a win-win but just requires more work and a deeper engagement with the child in question.

I'm not suggesting that the child be beaten. I'm suggesting that a serious penalty for that behavior be enacted, no matter the root cause of the behavior. A significant portion of the current generation is out-of-control because of this notion that any behavior is justified if the child was neglected, disadvantaged, or abused. Those behaviors are never justified and the child needs to learn that not through therapy but through an immediate response to his behavior. Add therapy to it, if you wish, but don't forgo the punishment. Therapy rarely works anyway. If it did, these kids wouldn't be run through the criminal justice system over and over.

Just as importantly, a penalty should be enacted against the kid's parents. If they're employed, let them spend six weekends hauling rocks for 8 hours a day followed by 4 hours of parenting classes. If they're not employed, let them spend a couple weeks hauling rocks 8 hours a day followed by 4 hours of parenting classes each evening. In other words, give them strong motivation to take the parenting classes seriously and not find themselves in this situation again.

The penalty for the child should, of course, be proportionate to the child's age. If necessary, the child should be removed from his home.

a reply to: Tangerine

i was not suggesting that you believed in beating kids, and i agree that punishment/sanctions (or whatever term someone chooses) need to be enacted and also that they are most effective (and often only effective) when they come immediately. The discussion of "whupping" on my part was a response to earlier comments in the thread.

It's worth noting though, as to who is the victim, that both the shop keeper and the child share that status. However the shop keeper can rectify their personal losses with a few hours work and hopefully not too many dollars. The situation of the kid will take much longer and at far more expense. I'm not disagreeing with here though, rather discussing and i think that our positions are not so far apart at all.

The kid has acted like a proper ####, but i still feel for him. I hope that he learns to own his behaviour but fear it may well be too late for his parents.

Get the kid psych evaluated and punish the parents for not doing their job. Move on, just another story where mental midgets are breeding.