Wal-Mart Shopper Slaps Crying Child

Originally posted by cautiouslypessimistic

Originally posted by griftin

Originally posted by cautiouslypessimistic

Originally posted by griftin
He didn't hit her. He slapped her and didn't even bruise her, it said she had a little redness on her cheek. When people deserve to go to prison and get raped for that I don't think I want to live here anymore.

You honestly condone a grown man assaulting another person's child?

I'm pretty sure I don't want you to live here anymore, either.

He didn't assault her.

He absolutely did. Perhaps you need to look at this:
"At Common Law, an intentional act by one person that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent harmful or offensive contact."

or this, from the plain English Law Dicitonary:
"assault
A crime that occurs when one person tries to physically harm another in a way that makes the person under attack feel immediately threatened. Actual physical contact is not necessary; threatening gestures that would alarm any reasonable person can constitute an assault. Assault is often charged with battery, which requires intended physical contact. (See also: battery)"


Do a little research, laddy.

Either way, suggesting PRISON AND RAPE for hardly injuring someone is RIDICULOUS. Prison life is terrible and the only people who should be there are people who commit serious crimes, rape, murder, etc.

He should get a fine and community service, nothing more.

reply to post by RogerT


I agree there are plenty of other options, and of course I never enjoy inflicting any type of pain on my kids. I just don't believe that any options should be off limits.

One of the boys absolutely hates to hold still, so time outs are torturesome for him, the other one doesn't care, and will sit there all day! One boy cannot stand for me to make him look me in the eye when he is getting corrected. He does everything in the world to get away, so a lecture is the best thing I can do to him! One boy will put everything in his mouth, and he just won't stop. I have had to start giving him quick pops on the mouth when he does it! Now, he starts to put something in there and then he stops to see if I am watching! Physical corrections come in many forms, and they are effective and appropriate in many cases!

Slapping a hand reaching for a hot burner gives a very real consequence just like the natural one would be. (Reach for hot burner, get pain in hand.) But a smack on the hand is far better than a burnt finger, and explaining the ins and outs to a 14 month old just isn't as effective as a smacked hand!

reply to post by cautiouslypessimistic


You don't need to quote law, common sense will do.

A 160+ lb adult, striking a 30 ish lb child, is assault, in the dictionary of common sense.

That's like an 800lb gorilla swatting your man across the face. I think he would call that an 'assault' !!

It does not matter what reasons he may have thought he had for hitting someone else’s child, it was just not his place to do.

Just as we do not know if the child was healthy or sick or throwing a tantrum, neither did he, only the parent knows.

Perhaps the mother should have removed herself and her child to the bathroom or temporarily outside, but we don’t know the details of the situation.

If the man was that annoyed, the proper thing to do would to talk to the staff at the Wall Mart, and have them talk to the mother.

You dont think assaulting a child is a serious crime?

Really?

reply to post by getreadyalready


You can argue all you like for your violence, I am not trying to take it away from you.

However, it takes unconsciousness to act violently (proactively) especially so to a child.

Whatever message you intend the violence to carry, be sure it also carries the lesson that inflicting emotional and physical suffering on a lesser powerful human being is not only an acceptable way to fulfil your personal agenda, get what you want and influence another, but actually a preferable way.

IMO, violence does not develop respect at all, merely fear. Respect requires trust, and nothing destroys trust more than inflicting physical and/or emotional pain.

Originally posted by KnoxMSP
www.thesmokinggun.com...

Here's the police report. Looks like it wasn't a single slap.

Oh, but he's sorry.

Seriously, how could you possibly pick out a better picture of crumpy old crumudgeon? You could scour the Earth to cast this guy and not find a guy better suited to it that that.

Maybe he's got dementia. I've seen one or two other cases of someone's demented grandmothter thinking that they could spank some stranger's child in the supermarket.

[edit on 2009/9/2 by Aeons]

[edit on 2009/9/2 by Aeons]

A violent past does constitute for continued violence. I'm not talking about violence I'm talking about discipline, but yes your fact is correct, but not fully applicable to the situation. In regards being a unique case where "generics" dont fully explain.

Yes discipline can be done by many different means, but all forms of it should be used in order for the child to be well disciplined. Until a child can understand the long term short term effects of its' actions, it needs a short term effect to get it disciplined to build its' mind up for a better logical answer as it gets older.

You caught my hole with me being generic, not to say that I was going to try to make sure that there was no way to do that. We all learn generics so that we can better deal with the most common situations. The world is choatic and always has unique situations. My part in being generic is to explain something so that others can read our discussion and have a 'general' idea of what I am talking about. We are provided the basic facts, so we should apply basic assumptions.

[edit on 2-9-2009 by furzball]

Originally posted by griftin

Originally posted by Violet Sky
Wow! I hope Bubba slaps him around in prison when he sqweals like a pig.

What a miserable excuse for a human.

You want him to go to prison and get raped because he slapped a little kid so she would shut up?

[edit on 2-9-2009 by griftin]

I only hoped he'd get slapped in return. The prison rape is a given as prisoners hate child abusers - and rightly so.

You think this was such an innocent act, but the repercussion for the child are long lasting, not physically, but mentally. Her fear of men and strangers, as well as her getting punished for expressing herself will make for one messed up adult woman who will probably need lots of therapy.

No one has the right to assault children. Out of control people should be locked up.

reply to post by Brainbow


Because it isn't your business. Everyone raises their own children their own way and people always never approve of anothers ways unless it is similar to their own. The story you told isn't that bad. I remember when my nephew was either 9 or 10, he was acting up during a family BBQ, and he then started pulling on the back of his grandfathers chair while he was sitting on it. His grandfather stood up rapidly and he flew backwards. Yes, he got a little bit of a scrape and bruise, but he was fine. At first my nephew was upset, but then even laughed about it himself little later cause he realized how far he went back. Is that child abuse? No, he was being a brat, and rather than getting smacked his grandfather decided to make him look foolish.

Back to your situation, you would have gotten in this womans face and what would it have accomplished? Nothing, she would have told you to mind your business, raise your kids your own way, and other colorful words. And she would have been right. Now if there was over the top abuse going on, then yes, someone should say something but other than that, people just need to mind their damned business.

Originally posted by jd140
Did the child stop crying after the guy walloped him upside the head?

The guy was wrong, but the parents are wrong also. They were probably more upset that a guy had told them to shut their kid up, then they were of the kid actually crying.

That was probably the first time a grown up has struck him. Stick him in jail for a week, but making this a felony going over board.

How other people raise, and treat their kids is no ones business. And so what if the kid stopped crying after this guy hit him, that doesn't matter if it worked, this man is not this childrens parent or relative. Charging the man with a felony is not over board because this counts as assaulting a minor, which he did. Had the father been there instead of the mom, he wouldn't have done this, it's very doubtful he would have. You really believe the parents are upset because he got their kid to shut up? You must not have any kids. The threat alone would have gotten this guys face caved in if it came to my child.

I respect peoples opinions differ from mine and other's but I cannot believe the posts I have read. This tells me that a lot of you don't have any kids and think you know more than people that do have kids. Having children is a blessing, it most definitely is, but it is also the most stressful thing in the world when you have a lot going on in your life, such as work, other relationships, planning meals, and throwing a child in all of that mix makes it much harder. Everyone gets frustrated, it happens.

Kids cry, they get hurt, they resort to that when they are told no, and so on. There is no such thing as perfect parenting, that's just simply impossible. When my child is acting up at the store I do the same exact thing my mother did to me, we just leave and then I don't get to go to that place or anywhere for a month. It works. Any of you thinking this woman is a bad parent is an idiot. When people come up to me to lecture me how to raise my child, I tell them exactly where they can stick it, it's no one's business how I raise my child and find it amusing that people expect some perfect little world of unformed order. But then again, reading posts/threads all over this site, it doesnt' surprise me at all. To the arm chair parenting experts here that don't even have kids, I have a recommendation to you, have some of your own and tell me how easy it is.

Originally posted by furzball

A violent past does constitute for continued violence. I'm not talking about violence I'm talking about discipline, but yes your fact is correct, but not fully applicable to the situation. In regards being a unique case where "generics" dont fully explain.



[edit on 2-9-2009 by furzball]

Look at this instance, though. It is not discipline when a stranger strikes someone else's child. It is violence.

I have to say that this whole story makes me incredibly angry. Like others have said before me, I would have defended my child. I am the father of a two year old and know that when he cries it is usually out of frustration because he is trying to tell me something and I can't understand him. Yes, we as parents have a responsibility to take care of our children and quiet them when they are upset. It is not some random strangers right or responsibility to tell me how I should raise my child. They definitely do not have a right to touch my child in any way.

That said, I have been looking at the little picture of the guy's mug shot all day and all I've seen is anger. I just looked at the larger picture on TSG, however, and see fear, embarrassment, and anger at himself. What he did was completely egregious and uncalled for? Do I think he deserves gen pop prison time? No, not really. What he needs is a thorough psych eval and anger management and possibly some rubber room time. For all we know this could be Alzheimer's rearing it's ugly head.

I just hope that this hasn't left any permanent scars on that poor little girl.

reply to post by cautiouslypessimistic


Yes finding more evidence then the original post, what he did was violent to some. However I don't tend to think it's over the top cause I was raised somewhat in between old and new generations. If it was the guys own kids I see no problem with it. It was only that it was against someone elses child that these issues are called up. He simply did what the mother shouldve done. Maybe not slapping across the cheeks but the child should have been spanked. Not by him but by the mom. But see, the man probably believed that he was solving a problem child just as much as any teacher would. Hell I hope they allow principals or teachers to start spanking kids again in school. Thus seeing from the guy's point of view to some degree it was logical. What is logical isn't always right, humantarian, or 'nice'. I'd like to see alot more logic going on in this world otherwise it wouldn't have half if not more then problems it does.
Thing is, in the end it was a solution that worked. The child wasn't damaged goods or anything of that sort. It was simply given discipline in my view(as in my perspective of what discipline is defined as, which may not be the same as yours). I'm sticking to simplicities of what the situation was, and what are possible solutions. All actions having consequences. True he could have ignored the child. But that means that the child wouldve been an annoyance to everyone in the store that the mother was simply ignoring. The mother was ignoring her child and those around her. That is disgusting to me and I really hope that this whole situation taught her that her ignorance does affect those around her.

[edit on 2-9-2009 by furzball]

They said crying child, not screaming child or child having a tantrum. How do you know the child didn't just fall down, or have a scare? Crimminy! That man's face is enough to scare me. He looks like Old Man Wickles from Scooby Doo.

I had my cousin's child in Wal Mart and he tripped over his shoelace and began crying. Some broad decides to lecture me, I guess thinking he was having a fit over toys, and giving me this same good advice. I told her that she could take her advice and peddle it off to someone who gave a rats ass about it.

People need to not judge others because you don't know the situation.

reply to post by intrepid


Every corporate drug store here in Florida has a drive-thru. Most family owned pharmacies do too mainly because of robbery. Secondly, a lot of elderly, so their not having to come into the store helps them a lot!

Drive thru drug stores here in Florida... common place - literally every corner.


[edit on 2-9-2009 by Little One]

I DO think its a bit rediculous people here saying the man deserves years of prison, rape, and abuse, because a few slaps is going to "seriously traumatize the child and require years of therapy". Come on people, children are a lot more durable than you think, and most likely this child wont even remember it. I know many of us received quite severe whippings when younger. I myself received quite a few at the hands of the "brothers of the sacred heart"....and honestly, i dont regret the experience, and wouldnt take it back if i could! It is actually true that i lament the fact that my parents did not give me MORE discipline, as its something that is a lot harder to teach yourself later in life. Unlike others, however, its something that i admit to having difficulty with, and would have appreciated more work in that direction from my mother and father.

Hopefully YOUR kids wont be wishing 20 or 30 years down the road that YOU had not spared the rod with them.

reply to post by pexx421


What many seem to fail to understand for some reason, is that this man is not this childs father or relative! He had no right putting his hands on this child. That is called assaulting a minor and it's an extreme minor in this case. He might not get prison time, and if word got around the block what he's in for, he may not have a fun time there. He'll probably get community service, and probably go through anger management, therapy and all that good stuff. He probably out to stay off the grid until this blows over, and maybe move because he isn't going to have a peaceful existence within his community. People are not going to take too kindly to this guy. Then again, he'll probably get a beer bought for him from like-minded individuals as seen within this thread. Way to go to show em pal!

Originally posted by sdcigarpig
I think he should get more of a punishment and charges filed against him. To slap a child like that in public, and it was not even his is just wrong. It was the mothers place to discipline the child.
I am rather shocked at the mothers constraint and discipline not to attack the man for striking her child.

Sounds to me like he is applying the concept "It takes a village to raise a child." Sounds to me like the mother was incapable of raising the child. Sounds to me like he went too far, but maybe he was having a bad day and this was just that one more thing that pushed him over. Felony is stupid. Misdemeanor is ok. The hit was not illegal if the parent did it, only if he did it.
As usual, our justice system overreacted with a felony.