"Baby Cockfight"

[pomtzu]

Absolutely disgusting!!!

Frankly - I just don't get it. The act itself was horrific enough - but what the h3ll could be going thru someone's mind to make them publish it on the internet???? And this certainly is no isolated case. Look at some of the others - schoolyard beatings, teens being lured by friends to their homes for a sleepover, and then one getting the crap beat out of her, the guy in Philly that had his son tape an episode of himself armed with assault rifles and giving instructions on how to kill a cop, etc, etc, etc. It just goes on and on and on.

Sometimes being old sucks - but when I see crap like this - I'm glad I'm not just starting out in this world. Where is all of this going????? Talk about man's inhumanity to man..........

[Medusa]

Well then who does the other boy belong too?? You mean to tell me that a dad wanted to tape his son being beat up & then filmed it.. Just think what will happen if in years when the child is old enough to watch the video & then Does.. Oh my that could be so devastating..

Read the post by pitc9.

[Cataholic]

I knew I would be disagreed with. I have a 4 year old, and while violence of any form is not tolerated in our home, on the street, in the school, I still don't think there will be lasting 'damage' done to the toddlers in the video.

My son can't remember falling down the steps on 3 separate occasions, within 1.5 years of each other. (well, once was more of a sliding incident, but, 2 were without question a 'fall'. I can tell you at the time he was shocked, traumatized, injured, scared of the steps, etc. No question. And, seeing me near hysterics was traumatic for him, too. BUT, today, at 4 years plus a few months, he doesn't remember these incidents...he knows they happened, as I use such extreme caution around steps with him, but, he doesn't remember it. And, I probably talked about the incidents a lot!

It is wrong, because the adults are involved, but, from the toddlers perspective, give them 6 months and something else 'traumatic' will fill the space. Just my opinion, and surely, my hope.

[sparks19]

I knew I would be disagreed with. I have a 4 year old, and while violence of any form is not tolerated in our home, on the street, in the school, I still don't think there will be lasting 'damage' done to the toddlers in the video.

My son can't remember falling down the steps on 3 separate occasions, within 1.5 years of each other. (well, once was more of a sliding incident, but, 2 were without question a 'fall'. I can tell you at the time he was shocked, traumatized, injured, scared of the steps, etc. No question. And, seeing me near hysterics was traumatic for him, too. BUT, today, at 4 years plus a few months, he doesn't remember these incidents...he knows they happened, as I use such extreme caution around steps with him, but, he doesn't remember it. And, I probably talked about the incidents a lot!

It is wrong, because the adults are involved, but, from the toddlers perspective, give them 6 months and something else 'traumatic' will fill the space. Just my opinion, and surely, my hope.

I agree with you.

I don't think this one incident will scar him for life.

HOWEVER, if this continues then yes.. h e will be scarred. but not from one incident that he really probably won't remember. he will be frightened for a while and probably a little guarded but like you said... something else will come along and fill that fear with something new. That is if this is an isolated incident and it doesn't happen again.

[pomtzu]

I too would like to THINK that one episode wouldn't scar him - but the thing is - do we KNOW that it is only one incident. No matter what - ONE incident is ONE TOO MANY and very capable of leaving lasting scars.

[Reachoutrescue]

As a mother of two boys....this disturbs me so much! Especially that he is in the Army! What is wrong with people??!! These poor kids are taught so young to be brutal to each other....they are going to have major issues as they get older. They are going to think that this is the way to behave and treat people....I pray it was not a reaccuring situation. I really hope this man gets prosecution!! INSANE!!!

[K9soul]

On the subject of emotionally scarring or not, I am not sure if this in particular would be a scarring event, but I think a toddler or infant can be traumatized and affected deep within their psychological development even by things they may not later remember. While thinking on it, I thought of an incident with Tasha when she was a puppy, when she was shyly approaching a man and he suddenly grabbed her by the collar and pulled her the rest of the way to him, triggering a terror response in her. From then on she tended to stay out of reach of people and got upset with stranger's hands reaching towards her, and she developed a particular mistrust of men. Surely as an adult, she would not specifically remember the event that happened as a pup, and yet psychologically it had a lasting effect on her that became instinctual. Not all pups I believe would have the same reaction, but Tasha is deeply sensitive and always has been. I suspect it depends on the individual in people as well, and the impact the action had on them.

In any case it's a shocking thing for an adult to do and I believe potentially damaging. I hope the poor kids are put into a better situation.

ETA: Have to disagree with the previous idea stated that this is a "man thing" or has anything to do with the father being in the military. Anyone can be cruel.

[Cataholic]

I was a little confused as to his current military status. Is he currently IN the military? If so, will he be dealt with by the military? And, only the military?

[Ginger's Mom]

The article I read said that he is Special Operations soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, and that the incident it being investigated by the military police and the State Child Protective Services. It also said that the command will take appropriate actions and cooperate with civilian authorities.

[Cataholic]

The article I read said that he is Special Operations soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, and that the incident it being investigated by the military police and the State Child Protective Services. It also said that the command will take appropriate actions and cooperate with civilian authorities.

Thanks. I had just found the information online and was going to edit my post when my boss had the nerve to walk in and ask me a question!!!

I also saw that the mom did not have custody, and I do wonder about the story behind the story. I gathered the toddler getting beaten and the older son trying to intervene were her children with the "father"...no idea to whom the other toddler belonged.

I would think if there is military involvement, he is in for a world of hurt.

[Lady's Human]

To say that the military frowns on child abuse would be an understatement.

If he winds up in front of a court martial board he's going to do hard time, and military prisons are a different animal than civilian prisons.

[Karen]

To say that the military frowns on child abuse would be an understatement.

If he winds up in front of a court martial board he's going to do hard time, and military prisons are a different animal than civilian prisons.

That's what I am hoping will happen.

[RICHARD]

Not to make what this guy did O.K. but it reminded me of a comedy routine that either George Lopez or Carlos Menica did- It had to do with pinatas and the kids who are involved with the tradition.

A pinata (peen-Yata) is a cardboard/newspaper/paper maiche figure, usually of the current fad or popular trend in the media, that is hollow, filled with candy and hung from a rope over an open area.

It can be tied off to a post, tree or pole, the pinata tied to the rope and the other end of the rope draped over another post or tree branch-the free end is held by an adult who can tug on that loose end to adjust the height of it.

Children are blindfolded, handed a stick, given a few spins and turned loose, to bash the crap out of Sponge Bob, Spiderman or a star that has a picture of a star on the side-I saw a few Hannah Montana pics that I would have loved to have seen bashed!

When the pinata breaks the candy goes over the floor and you get a free for all for the goodies.

The comic began to laugh at the whole thing. He brought up some points-I am paraphrasing here...

You get the 11 year old, 5'10' monster that steps on kids to get his share.
The tiny kids who get stepped on, the kids who cry because they were shoved, stepped on or didn't get enough candy. You have the parents who are either cheering the kids on to "Get in there!" or have to calm down the crying, tend to the bruises, stepped on digits. Then there are the parents who admonish the children for not being tougher and the ones with the 'Back Up Bag Of Candy' who pass it out to the less fortunate and ones who lack that Killer Kandy Instinct!

It's one of those really goofy traditions where the kids go nuts, the parents cheer on the 'bad behavior' and everyone laughs about it later on.

There is a difference in staging 'kid fights' and the pinata thing but they do resemble each other in the fact that they are a spectacle controlled and put on by adult(s).

When ever I see something like that in the media, I always think of a pinata brawl and how dumb it was to toss your kids into a group of kids that would "go gladiator" for candy.

I guess you can say that the candy thing is just for fun at a kid's party, but really, what is the difference between pitting your kids against each other for sport or candy?

[ramanth]

I can't remember anything that happened to me as a toddler. Andy however, remembers having surgery at 2 years old, and the resulting trauma causes issues in our marriage.

So could the boy end up traumatized? It's quite possible.

[Giselle]

Purely speaking in psychological terms, children experience "childhood amnesia" up until about 3.5 years of age. While very few people can remember from about 2.5 years on, most people who claim to be able to remember events from or before 3-4 years of age are often operating with false or augmented memories. I forget if severely traumatic memories "subliminally" affect a young child in later life, but I do know that the topic of subliminal anything is very controversial with psychologists.

However, I saw parts of the video (made me ill) and the boys look to be older than 3-4... unfortunately.