Sorry.
I would like to know more as well, but it being China we never will.
Unless the kid grows up to be Chinese Superman.
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| Poll: Is this child abuse? https://mail.chicagofanatics.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=67223 |
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| Author: | Terry's Peeps [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:48 am ] |
| Post subject: | Poll: Is this child abuse? |
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/video-child-without-clothes-snow-sparks-outrage-230300618.html Video of Child Without Clothes in Snow Sparks Outrage By Piper Weiss, Shine Staff | Parenting – 34 minutes ago The latest childhood-moment-turned-viral-video isn't exactly heartwarming. A controversial video a father shot of his four-year-old son running through the snow, wearing nothing but his underwear and a pair of shoes, has sparked cries of abuse. On a visit to the States, He Liesheng of Nanjing, China, filmed his young son whimpering and shuddering during an icy run through the streets of New York City. The video, posted anonymously after dad, He, emailed it to friends, is at the center of a debate: Is this child abuse or just extreme parenting? But a source close to the family says the demands the father made on his son were borne out of love. "This child has received all sorts of forms of training since he was small," He's personal assistant Xin Lijuan, said in an interview with AFP. "When he was one, he started swimming in water that was 21 degrees Celsius." Born with several health problems, the boy's parents have used these extreme methods to try to boost their son's immunity. And they believe it's working, claiming the boy rarely has a cold or fever. But the physical pain endured and the threat of hypothermia the child faced have an army of online commenters and child advocates calling the incident child cruelty. "This is what we would call child abuse," Jannah Bailey, executive director of Child Protect, an Alabama-based advocacy organization for abused children, tells Shine. "[The boy] was definitely was not enjoying it and it's not an appropriate punishment for a four-year-old." Read more about dad Leisheng He's interview here A few commenters on He's video were conflicted: "His father is cruel, but what he did is for the boy's good. He won't be like today's children who are only able to play with cell phones and computers," writes a viewer. Others only admonished the parents if they forced this kind of exposure on their child regularly. But Bailey believes a video like this raises a red flag. "When a child is cold that's a parent's responsibility to keep them warm." If he fails at that, it may be a sign of bigger problems when the camera is turned off. Since the video became a hot topic, it's been linked to writer Amy Chua, whose 'Tiger Mother' parenting approach advocates her Chinese immigrant parents' mentally rigorous child-rearing methods. But it's a mistake, and a dangerous stereotype, to assume extreme physical tests of will are commonplace among Chinese parents. More commonplace, however, is this kind of cross-cultural co-parenting we've adapted on the web. As the hub for tender childhood moments and a soapbox for niche beliefs, the web has become the proverbial village it takes to raise a child. Parents who've never met trade advice, share memories, and sometimes serve as watchdogs and child advocates. In her own organization, Bailey has seen social networking expose cases of abuse more than once. "We've had two cases come through Facebook," she tells Shine. "In one a parent posted pictures of daughter with duct tape over her mouth and said this was a punishment." Concerned Facebook users forwarded the photos to local police force who opened an investigation and utilized Child Protect's counseling services. As the Internet becomes a melting pot of shared experiences, it's raising some difficult questions. When do you blow the whistle on a stranger's parenting practice. And, in a global society, is it fair to judge by your own standards? |
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| Author: | Northside_Dan [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:52 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Poll: Is this child abuse? |
On the surface, it definitely looks like it. But as with most things on the interwebs, there is a lot of background and context missing that might make it foolish to judge. The article briefly mentions their sons health problems. Would like to know more about that. |
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| Author: | Vincent Antonelli [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:52 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Poll: Is this child abuse? |
The parents didnt throw him in the dumpster when he was born so for China this is all good. |
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| Author: | Drop In [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Poll: Is this child abuse? |
Phew. I thought Speeps started having Speeps Jr. read the board. This seems reasonable in comparison. |
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| Author: | Frank Coztansa [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:58 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Poll: Is this child abuse? |
On a certain level, is this really any different than those crazy moms who force their toddlers into beauty pageants? Hell, there's a fucking TV show based on there here. |
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| Author: | The Original Kid Cairo [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:58 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Poll: Is this child abuse? |
Speeps, this thread isn't your style. |
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| Author: | Terry's Peeps [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:59 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Poll: Is this child abuse? |
Northside_Dan wrote: On the surface, it definitely looks like it. But as with most things on the interwebs, there is a lot of background and context missing that might make it foolish to judge. The article briefly mentions their sons health problems. Would like to know more about that. He Liesheng told AFP he was only trying to train his son to be strong and manly, but the footage has ignited debate about the tough parenting style for which China became known after Amy Chua's book "Tiger Mother". In the video, the little boy runs towards his father, who is filming him, in thick snow with only his shoes and underpants on, at times crying and pleading with his dad to take him in his arms. On several occasions, both parents tell their son to lie down in the snow, which he does eventually when his mother presses him. "He agreed to go out to run in the snow naked or else it wouldn't be possible for me to take his clothes off," said He, who runs a bed linen company in the eastern city of Nanjing. "He wasn't very happy when he felt the cold." It is not clear who posted the video online. He's personal assistant, a woman called Xin Lijuan, told AFP that He had sent the video to "a few friends" but didn't post it online himself. The footage has been viewed by tens of thousands of people on video-sharing websites. "I don't agree with this... We should give children a happy childhood, those terrible parents say they do this for their child's own good, but I think their purpose is just to be able to brag in the future," one web user said. "I really don't support this, poor kid. Does the kid's mother let the father do whatever he wants to do?" another person said on Sina's popular weibo microblogging service. The father has been given the nickname "Eagle Dad" in reference to Chua, who sparked controversy when she wrote a book extolling the benefits of tough parenting. He, who also claims to teach his son Kung Fu, dancing, cycling and mountain climbing, said he was trying to help his child develop a "masculine temperament". "I also give him cold ice cream on cold winter days to train his stomach to get used to the cold," He told AFP by phone. "He rarely has a cold or fever." Xin said He was on holiday with his family in New York during the Lunar New Year holiday last month and decided to see in the Year of the Dragon with this unusual method. "The child agreed and before the run, he did half an hour of slow running to warm up," she said by phone. "This child has received all sorts of forms of training since he was small. When he was one, he started swimming in water that was 21 degrees Celsius." Xin said that the boy was born prematurely with several health problems including water in the brain that prompted doctors to say he may have cerebral palsy. "But now he has no problems," she said, attributing this to He's intense education method. Chinese parenting has come under the spotlight recently, with many of the country's children forced to study harder than their Western counterparts, often at the expense of sports and other leisure activities. In her controversial book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother", Chinese-American Chua, a Yale University law professor, tells how she and her husband elected to raise their two daughters the "Chinese" way. That meant heavy pressure for top school marks, no sleep-overs or watching television and mandatory piano or violin study. In one incident, she made one of her daughters stand out in the cold for falling short on piano practice, while in another she tells guests at a dinner party how she once called her daughter "garbage" -- shocking the room. An excerpt from the book was published in the Wall Street Journal last year, sparking vicious criticism and, Chua says, death threats. Most of the responses to He's parenting methods were critical, although some Internet posts said teaching one's child about the cold and fortitude was a good thing. "But if this method becomes a feature of everyday life, then the child's life learning process is just cruel," one person said. Another blogger said: "His father is cruel, but what he did is for the boy's good. He won't be like today's children, who are only able to play with cell phones and computers." Xin said He had disregarded the flood of online criticism. "He says he doesn't care what others say... that the fact that the child lived showed that he has tenacious vitality," she said. |
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| Author: | Terry's Peeps [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:59 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Poll: Is this child abuse? |
The Original Kid Cairo wrote: Speeps, this thread isn't your style. Sorry. I saw the article and it intrigued me. |
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| Author: | Northside_Dan [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Poll: Is this child abuse? |
I know, I read that. I'd like to know more about it. This is interesting though |
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| Author: | Terry's Peeps [ Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:05 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Poll: Is this child abuse? |
| Sorry. I would like to know more as well, but it being China we never will. Unless the kid grows up to be Chinese Superman.
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