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.
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.
: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?
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.
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?
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.
: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!
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.
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.”
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.
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.
