# Shit-eyed boy damages painting. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 1, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619 "2006-03-01T15:43:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/21 "2006-03-01T16:24:52Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > The kid is twelve, not five. Twelve is more than old enough to know that other people’s property is to be respected. It’s more than old enough to know that the proper way to dispose of gum is to throw it into the trash. It’s more than old enough to absorb the “Don’t. Touch. ANYTHING.” warning he doubtless received from both his teacher and the museum guide. > > If that was my kid, I’d kick his ass. I hope you mean figuratively. If you mean literally, you’re a terrible parent. Figuratively? Sure. Kids do dumb things, and they need to learn the consequences of that. He needs to experience some serious consequences here. But it’s no big deal in the grand scheme of things. Kids disrespect property all the time, and parents and schools all the time have to teach them not to do so. Do you think it’s remotely unusual for a twelve-year-old to vandalize something? Do you think that in the history of property-owning humanity it’s ever been remotely unusual for a 12-year-old to vandalize something? That’s part of what they do. What parents and other responsible adults do is teach them why that’s unacceptable. That’s how the world works. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/22 "2006-03-01T16:24:54Z")
Try this, How’d you feel if this kid had keyed your car? CMC ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/23 "2006-03-01T16:25:14Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > What the hell with the “no big deal” attitude? > > You don’t like the painting? And that’s relevant how? > > The kid is twelve, not five. Twelve is more than old enough to know that other people’s property is to be respected. It’s more than old enough to know that the proper way to dispose of gum is to throw it into the trash. It’s more than old enough to absorb the “Don’t. Touch. ANYTHING.” warning he doubtless received from both his teacher and the museum guide. > > If that was my kid, I’d kick his ass. If it was my kick, I’d kick his ass too (metaphorically). And he’d be paying the entire cost of the restoration. It’s not my kid though. It’s some kid who apparently will be punished, and it’s some painting that apparently sustained no permanent damage. Not a big deal to me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/24 "2006-03-01T16:26:02Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > Oh noes a buttass ugly painting had a little dot on it for a few days!!11 NOOOOOoooOOo!!!1 (/cuts self) > > BTW how does one become “shit-eyed?” I’ve heard that you can be so full of shit that your eyes turn brown, but that doesn’t seem to follow here. :rolleyes: Clearly you don’t get it. So, I suppose if you were in possession of a one of a kind…let’s say car…that was manufactured…say…70 years ago and it was worth 1.5 million and some little fucker walked up and keyed it, you wouldn’t be PISSED OFF? I mean he, you can take it to Maaco and have them buff it out, repaint it and all that so what’s the big deal? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/25 "2006-03-01T16:26:13Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > Sorry, but I’m not as forgiving as some of you regarding this incident. If your version of unforgiving is requiring community service, then you and I are equally unforgiving. if your version of unforgiving is branding him as an asshole for behaving like an adolescent, then yeah, you’re going a little bit Taliban over there. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![George\_Kaplin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@George\_Kaplin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/George_Kaplin)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/26 "2006-03-01T16:27:31Z")
This kid is a stupid, thuggish little bastard with no respect for other people’s things. Contrary to the protestations of other posters, it is not unreasonable to expect a twelve year old to refrain from vandalising valuable artworks. Were I his father, the little prick would be spending every evening and weekend mopping the floors of that museum until the cost of refurbishment had been met. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/27 "2006-03-01T16:28:51Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > :rolleyes: Clearly you don’t get it. So, I suppose if you were in possession of a one of a kind…let’s say car…that was manufactured…say…70 years ago and it was worth 1.5 million and some little fucker walked up and keyed it, you wouldn’t be PISSED OFF? > > I mean he, you can take it to Maaco and have them buff it out, repaint it and all that so what’s the big deal? No, YOU don’t get it. Are you the owner of the painting? If so, then I rescind my thought that you’re going way overboard about something that ought not concern you: I understand your pissedoffedness, even if it’s irrational. But if it’s not your painting, why do you care enough to pit an adolescent for acting like an adolescent? I also read about some kids that organized a food fight that’s going to cost $1000 to clean up. The entire fifth grade knew about it, but nobody squealed to the authorities. Are those kids also complete assholes? Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/28 "2006-03-01T16:29:06Z")
What? You don’t blame the kid? I knew not to stick my chewed gum on any kind of property at age seven (or maybe younger), and I hold a sixth- or seventh-grader fully accountable. I mean, surely this kid’s teachers gave the speech about not sticking gum under tables and chairs at school, right? I got it every year! Why was the kid allowed to chew gum in a museum anyway? I’m sure he wasn’t allowed and he knew it. The little punk was breaking the rules, and he was doing it to be a stupid little punk. I remember junior high, and you chew gum when it’s forbidden for one reason: so you can feel like a rebel. And why do you stick it somewhere inappropriate? Not because you can’t find a trash can, but because you want to be a rebellious jerk. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/29 "2006-03-01T16:29:39Z")
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: kids are assholes. Thankfully, most of them grow out of it by the time they’re 20 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/30 "2006-03-01T16:30:01Z")
> [@George Kaplin](#): > > This kid is a stupid, thuggish little bastard with no respect for other people’s things. :rolleyes: Good lord. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen so many Internet Warriors gathered in one place, so ready to take on the mighty scourge of twelve-year-olds. I surrender. Go get 'em, tiger! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/31 "2006-03-01T16:30:34Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > :rolleyes: Clearly you don’t get it. So, I suppose if you were in possession of a one of a kind…let’s say car…that was manufactured…say…70 years ago and it was worth 1.5 million and some little fucker walked up and keyed it, you wouldn’t be PISSED OFF? > > I mean he, you can take it to Maaco and have them buff it out, repaint it and all that so what’s the big deal? LOL - I love these bullshit hypotheticals. OMG what if the space shuttle was going to take off but the little fucker put gum on it and they had to delay it?!? I mean, you can still take off the next day right?!? If the aforementioned little fucker walked up and stuck gum on my $1.5 million car, I’d be pissed, and you can bet Ma and Pa Fucker would be picking up the tab. I wouldn’t expect random assholes on the internet to give a rat’s ass though. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/32 "2006-03-01T16:32:28Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Therapizing, are you? 😉 I hope not. If I am, can I count on you to talk me through it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/33 "2006-03-01T16:40:43Z")
The painting _looks_ like a big wad of gum. No wonder the kid stuck his on it. ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/34 "2006-03-01T16:43:09Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > I also read about some kids that organized a food fight that’s going to cost $1000 to clean up. The entire fifth grade knew about it, but nobody squealed to the authorities. Are those kids also complete assholes? Yes. The kids who organized the food fight are assholes. The kids who didn’t squeal are simply cowards. This would be a good time for the teachers to come forth and explain the difference between tattling and being a responsible citizen. It’s a good lesson for the ten-year-old set. Of course adolescents will do dumb things. We’re supposed to say “Eh, kids will be kids” and shrug it off? What if he had damaged a valuable piece of art that most people like? Or something valuable of yours? (I’m not singling you out, Daniel, this is the general “you.”) A “stupid adolescent mistake” falls more along the lines of “sticking gum under desk chair” or “breaking arm by trying to skateboard down gravel hill” than “damaging irreplaceable property that costs what your parents make in a decade.” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/35 "2006-03-01T16:43:18Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > [Here’s a picture of it](http://www.bluffton.edu/~humanities/art/20c/contempart/frankenbay.jpg). It sounds as if the museum will be able to clean it, and the kid is learning the consequences of acting stupid. No permanent harm done, as long as the kid learns from the experience. > > Daniel Just to check, what permanent harm would be done if the kid _didn’t_ learn from the experience? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/36 "2006-03-01T16:48:40Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: kids are assholes. Thankfully, most of them grow out of it by the time they’re 20 or so. 20? I’d add about 8 or 9 years to that. ---
**Author:** ![George\_Kaplin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@George\_Kaplin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/George_Kaplin)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/37 "2006-03-01T16:48:58Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > I wouldn’t expect random assholes on the internet to give a rat’s ass though. You’re not pissed off by the blatant disrespect? Not even a little bit? Oh well, different strokes, I s’pose. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/38 "2006-03-01T16:49:55Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > I know what to say: he’s twelve goddamn years old! We don’t let him vote, drive, have kids, sign contracts, or do pretty much anything else that requires responsibility, **because he’s a child, and children make dumb decisions**. Maybe I was a whole lot smarter than the average kid, but by the age of twelve I knew better than to vandalize valuable works of art. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/39 "2006-03-01T16:50:36Z")
> [@](#): > > hope you mean figuratively. If you mean literally, you’re a terrible parent. You know what? Bullshit. If I had kids, rest assured- if they did something that fucking stupid and irresponsible I would literally, not figuratively, kick his ass and then some. Probably twice. No wonder kids grow up so selfish and stupid. How can anyone find this acceptable “kids will be kids” behavior? He’s an asshole kid. They do exist, believe it or not. They’re not all little angels that just sometimes make mistakes. Some of them do intentional damage because they’re assholes, plain and simple. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619/40 "2006-03-01T16:56:25Z")
> [@George Kaplin](#): > > You’re not pissed off by the blatant disrespect? Not even a little bit? Oh well, different strokes, I s’pose. Diff’rent strokes indeed. On the Slacker Scale of Outrage, kids disrespecting art is pretty far down the list. It’d be a different story if he had destroyed something that was irreplacable. But he didn’t. Temporary property damage just doesn’t get me riled up too often. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-eyed-boy-damages-painting/346619.md?page=3)