The stupidity of America

[Pale Dim]

Okay, that settles it. Apparently God is weeding out the not-so-bright so only the smart survive. Why do I see no bike helmets lately?

[Gamefreak]

It seems my Death Note actually works then.

[Pale Dim]

Makes sense.

[Vaati]

First of all, a child is suspended for writing down student's names in a Death Note. I can see how they would take it seriously, but come on. To suspend the kid for doing nothing? Its dumb.

Second of all, if you thought THAT was stupid, you haven't seen anything yet. A child ACTUALLY KILLS HIMSELF by burying himself in a sandbox SUPPOSEDLY imitating Gaara. Now look- you think the kid would be smart enough to know that if you don't breath- you die. Another instance where the stupidity of an American child sparks a lot of stupid adults who don't pay attention to what their kids see on TV.

This is just so upsetting.

Yeah, I heard about the Gaara story a while ago in Otaku Club. What's really stupid is that the kid wasn't that young, either. He was, like, eight or nine. "If I bury myself in sand, it's not like I'm gonna suffocate!" DUH!  

And about the Death Note, I will agree that it is a little ridiculous, but it's considered a threat. You can't really blame them after Columbine and stuff.
Actually, I almost got suspended in 3rd grade for drawing a picture of these girls I loathed in school, hanging. But my teacher was so nice, she didn't show it to the principal. You rock, Mrs. H.!  

[darkphantomime]

Please see "Darwin awards"

[Vaati]

Well, it's sad that the kid died. My heart goes out to the parents, but, still, the kid was a moron. I don't think the kid had any mental condition, either, did he?

"Dur dur dur!" lol

[TP Zelda]

I have to admit, I think these kids might jsut get a little too carried away with pretending and having fun. Sure, it's sad. But if you were the same age you would do the same things too.

[Zelda Veteran]

I wouldn't pretend to death.
I used to play pretend when I was young, but not pretend to the extreme where its like I'm on shrooms.

[darkphantomime]

You have never been on shrooms. therefore, your point is invalid.

[Mysterious F.]

For the second case, this is a child. Children believe that they have all sorts of super powers like they see on TV. (I once jumped out my bedroom window thinking I could fly. Luckily, I didn't get hurt.) It is more the naivity of children rather than pure stupidity that caused his sad death.

As for the first one with the Death Note, he deserved it. That actually counts as bullying, which usually results in suspension.

Oh yeah, to comment on the anti-spanking thing, that counts as child abuse, which is illegal in America, so a parent could actually get sued for that. It's hitting a child, which, last time I checked, is child abuse.

Oh, and ZV, that isn't true. Lots of adults blame award winning movies. Look at A Clockwork Orange. It inspired bank robbings, murders, and other crimes, and Stanley Kubrick, the director, even got death threats. (No wonder it was banned in England.)

[Gamefreak]

Right...see, I was just playing Grand Theft Auto IV last night, and I thought to myself, "Gee!  Wouldn't it be awesome to go around shooting people in real life and send the cops away with a push of my cell phone button?"

But then I realized my phone was dead and I decided not to.

[TP Zelda]

I wouldn't pretend to death.
I used to play pretend when I was young, but not pretend to the extreme where its like I'm on shrooms.

Hey, sometimes I believe that I could become a Naruto Nin myself if I trained real hard. Sometimes I even think that we have Chakra. But then I think, "Hey! Naruto is just an anime. There's no such thing as Chakra." I even used to believe that Pokemon were real. I would pretend to be a Pokemon Trainer.

And what Whocares said is right. Children are CHILDREN, they don't know what's real and what's not real until a certain age. They're just having fun, it's not like it's a sin or anything.

[Fishalicious]

Child abuse is maltreatment of a child.

Hitting =/= Child abuse.

It's excessive amounts that count as child abuse. The reason it's so heavily disputed is because there is no angel to fly down and say "no moar than 2 times a day!" about the matter.

So, while abusive parent might be like "-SPANK- what did i tell you about saying please and thank you?!!?!?", the other extremist may say "oh, hitting a child is horrible, that doesn't make them behave."

Uh... if you ask me, there is a happy medium-my sister has never been hit on purpose in her life, and if she has, it was relatively tame. As a result, she is a total brat.

[darkphantomime]

I have been hit, I am emotionally scarred because of it.

[Commodore Axilon]

Some would disagree, Fisk. I certainly know that I do.

I don't believe that a person should ever purposely inflict harm upon their child. There are much better ways to go about disciplining a child than physical abuse.

Of course, you can offer your anecdote about your sister, and I can counter with my own. But anecdotes are completely useless.