I already said I wouldn't have shot the laptop, I'd have donated it to charity. You do have to realize how not a big deal guns are in many areas of this country shooting it or hitting it with a sledgehammer are about equally "scary" to a lot of Americans. Of course you can fuck up a marginal kid by being a bad parent.

The part I'm disagreeing with is your notion that you've posited in other posts that a) this guy must be a bad parent, that's simply not 100% clear either way, b) treating kids with respect and love always works, seriously, this is the part that all the parents are blowing you off for making, and c) that this was a completely inappropriate way to handle the situation, again, this is not clear, this may have been equally as good as any other way to handle it given this kid.

The guy clearly is claiming to have needed to teach the kid a serious lesson that sinks in permanently. This is way easier said than done. It may be better for her to learn it this way, when she's 15, than in a few years when she gets herself run over by the freight train called reality, with far more serious consequences.

No manual comes out when the kid pops out, I know, I delivered mine myself. You do the best you can and you don't suddenly become super human or a whole lot different when you have one. It's easy to armchair judge another parent, but the reality is a lot harder than judging from an armchair. Sometimes there comes a day when you realize your kid might not turn out "all right". In fact, you may realize one day that you're kid is likely fucked and you can do jack shit about it. This is a tough day for those that have it.

So again, you're entitled to your opinion, but it's an opinion based on incomplete information and your assumptions may or may not be in any way aligned with reality. That's what I'm saying.

Oh yeah, I considered it - his Facebook page is years old however, so if it's fake, it involves real people. I'm just surprised by how many people think what he did was so amazing. I think both him AND his daughter are idiots except he's supposed to be the adult. Pot, kettle, black, etc. Telling your daughter to grow up and then doing one of the most childish things you can do (really, toddlers destroy toys out of frustration too) is more than a bit pathetic. But if it IS fake, then so be it. These discussions really start because people disagree with what other people think of his actions so it makes the actual vid rather unimportant in that respect.

She's a teenager, I don't start fires just because students in my classroom do. I'm the adult and they're never going to learn to behave like adults if I behave badly. I don't take their things and burn them just because they've got a lighter.

It's not really that big of a deal, people who can't keep things in proportion probably shouldn't be allowed to have children.
Don't come to China then. :-P

I definitely understand where you're coming from, but at this point if you really want to be off the net the only way is to hide in a hermitage in some really inconvenient place, at which point, why care?

Since I've come here I've gotten used to the fact that random people are going to be taking my photo, probably posting it to the net and hopefully I won't be doing something embarrassing at the time the picture is snapped.
A) fair point, but this is hardly exemplary of a good parent.
B) That's no excuse for this sort of behavior. If you're not modelling good behavior, you're not going to get it. Just because it isn't guaranteed doesn't make it any less necessary.
C) He used a firearm out of anger, there is never a situation in which that is appropriate as a means of solving a problem. Firearms are generally there for limited reasons, target practice, hunting and self defense, anything which can't reasonably be categorized under one of those purposes is probably not appropriate. (with possible exceptions for summoning help)

My point was that the way I see it, she started a fire, told everyone it was her dad, and he simply came out and corrected her.

If you watch the video, the actual act of destroying the computer is only a small part of it right at the end that lasts for a few seconds. The other 8 minutes is him having to justify himself against accusations that his daughter made about him behind his back.

As I've said, I don't like guns so his way wouldn't have been my way, but he wasn't being physically abusive towards her, he didn't seem drunk or high, presumably he had a licence for the gun.

So what exactly is the problem?

Edit: now i see your list, the only one I can understand a bit is C, using a gun because you're angry with your daughter isn't good. I'll give you that one ;)

I think people are blowing this out of proportion. He shot her laptop it wasn't like he was shooting her pet. Laptops can be easily replaced. Would it be less of a problem if he had used a hammer instead of a gun?

The point he was trying to make was that she needs to learn responsibility and that what is freely given can be freely taken away unless she earns it on her own.

Although, I would have saved the hard drive and RAM first before breaking it. (Still a waste though, someone else could have used that laptop.)

I would definately get very &$@%*# off if someone did that without my permission - it's like those photographers who go and take pics at major events and stuff, and you can buy them from them - fair enough, but on the back of the photos it says you can't reproduce that photo without the photographers permission, even if the photo is of YOU !

Offtopic, I am curious whether, in China, do the common citezens get a say in Chinese foreign affairs? Like the Chinese buying up land and assets in N.Z ?

his spoiled daughter took the whole thing into the public domain, so he's doing the same to show her that the door swings both ways.

shooting the laptop is very attention grabbing, so not only did he pay back his daughter, he actually one up'd her. very clever, IMO.

Err ... So laptops are just hardware? Well, I guess since nowadays everyone seems to post all of their private data online it shouldn't be a problem to reproduce it, even with a big hole in the harddisk. ;)

Sadly, pretty much. Although I wouldn't say everyone. I'm the old fashion type who likes keeping my data local and personal info private. I'm proud to say that I don't have a social networking account, much to the surprise of my classmates and associates :)

I hope that girl backed up her data, I learned this the hard way :/

Regarding the whole shooting part, he warned her that he'll put a bullet through her laptop previously, and she didn't take notice of that.

To me, it's extremely important for a parent to follow up on what he says he'll do, no matter what.

Ha, me too!

Kids nowadays just don't know how to appreciate their parents. But i don't think share this video for the millions around the world is the right thing. It become humiliation instead of educating. But who knows, maybe they can be celebrity few weeks later?

This was not the kid's first offense of the kind; evidently she didn't get the lesson first time around, so heavier consequences are in order. The first time, you explain to them how their actions are unwise and take the computer for a week.

I wouldn't have shot the laptop (because I can't throw away that kind of money), but I would have told the daughter she wasn't getting it back for six months, if ever. Any cell phone she owned would have been replaced with a prepaid phone that cannot text or access the Net; she would be responsible for paying to top it up past the first $20. (I would provide that much for emergencies.) Actually, better yet I'd go find one of those Meego phones that can only call certain preset numbers. And she can forget driving to school, it'll be the totally uncool big yellow bus or the embarrassing parent drop-off for her. All schoolwork requiring computer access will be completed at a computer located in the living room, where she can be monitored.

You can't assume that anything you say on the Internet will ever disappear into a vacuum. Better she learn that harsh lesson now than when someone forwards that message, or worse yet, posts nude photos of her to a prospective employer in six years.

Interesting discussion being had here. My initial thoughts have not changed but my wife is on the other end of the spectrum. I'm glad she doesn't own a gun. :)

I didn't even need to click on the link to know it was an Onion video.