Kotaku: Man Attacks Child

Not the sort of thing you expect to find on a gaming news site, but poignant nonetheless.

It's tempting to claim some cultural superiority here, but even if it is perhaps less public, things like this happen around here all the time.

A few years ago, I was walking through the University Plaza when I heard a little girl—maybe 7 or 8—start screaming. You know, the usual "I'm not getting my way" little kid hissy fit. Her father had her by the hand and was by then trying to drag her somewhere. Probably to the car or something. She dug her heals in and screamed even louder.

The dad picked her up by her armpits and hauled her, literally kicking and screaming, around the corner. He shook her a bit and yelled at her—probably something like "You will do what you're told!" or "You will not embarass me like this in public!", I can't remember. Then he spun her around and started wailing on her behind.

That's when some other guy saw them. "Hey, man, that's just not cool. Don't hit your kid like that!"

Already pissed off, and now having some guy question his authority, the guy flipped out. "Do you have any kids?! Do you have any idea what it's like? Don't you dare tell me how to raise my daughter! Don't you dare talk down to me in front of her! Fuck you! Just fuck off!"

"Hey! I'm telling you that's not right. You just don't do that, man!

And so on. He eventually swore a couple more times and dragged his kid off to the car or something. I don't think she knew what to think, really.

What struck me about the whole exchange was that, for all his protestations that he had every right to do what he was doing, he still felt he had to try to hide it by going around that corner.

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