Popular video (7 mil views) HORRIBLE example of Child Abuse -should be banned

[Snoutport]

I cannot believe that nobody has gotten in trouble over this video. I LOVED this song until I saw this and now whenever I think about I think of the cruelty they put this poor child through. The bad stuff starts at about 1:10 and it may just break your heart to see this.

Poor kid deserves much better parents than the ones who let this happen to him.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe4EK4HSPkI&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=MLGxdCwVVULXeDiFgVzozMdw0odM5IGwkc

[Marblehead]

1. poor kid was

definitely exploited, capitalism is so much fun!

[joshcryer]

2. Different than Halloween how?

;)

[RKP5637]

3. Good example of why we're so F'ed as a species. The Stupidity is appalling. n/t

[CoffeeCat]

4. I'm wondering how much of this was special effects?

How much was this child really exposed to?

I am hoping much of it was "the magic of Hollywood" making it look as if the child
was exposed to this, but really wasn't.

I couldn't watch the entire video.

[joshcryer]

6. A baby is not going to be scared of a big bad monster. This baby was coached to cry on cue.

[CoffeeCat]

14. The fact is...

...that a child that age will cry quite a bit--when he's hungry, bored, tired.

So, it's possible that a child that age, naturally would cry several times throughout the day, and that
those cries were filmed and edited in such a way that made it appear that he was crying
about the monsters--when he didn't really see them.

Some of it could have been done with green screens, as well.

It's possible, which is why I was asking. But what do I know...I only worked for a company
that produced special effects/animation for a few years.

[FedUpWithIt All]

15. My barely three yr old son has night terrors. Last night he had a dream that a man in a white mask

broke into our home, stepped over a person and tried to harm his dad and myself. Tonight he already woke up afraid that a "scary man" was in his bed talking with him and grabbing his legs. This child is very limited in what he is exposed to. We do not keep television and only keep films for him to watch which we have already seen and feel are age appropriate. My son is only a few months older than the baby in that video.

I have memories of a similar age myself. I remember being in a type of metal framed car seat. I remember being held on my mother's hip. I distinctly remember sitting in a high chair and certain events at a home we moved out of before i was around 4. One of the memories that has stayed with me from that time was a sense of very real fear from the images on some of my father's album covers. child can have a very real sense of fear from the things depicted in that video.

The video in the OP is certainly abusive in my opinion. I do hope the child was not really allowed to be exposed to things that terrified him repeatedly and without instant comfort. And i hope he is not harmed long term from the experience.

Edited, i saw the behind the scenes video and i withdraw the certainty with which i spoke about this video. But i do think that children CAN be harmed by the things they are exposed to and i think that they process a lot more than they are typically given credit.

[Arugula Latte]

17. It looks like not much was special effects. See my post #16.

[Brickbat]

5. I dunno -- there's some pretty artful editing there. The misattributed quote at the beginning is

annoying as well.

ETA: According to several online articles, there is a "behind the scenes" video that shows the kid laughing and playing with the "monster". Honestly? Kids at that age can turn on a dime, and if their mom or dad is right there, they'll most likely get through it OK.

[Ian David]

11. DO you have a link to the behind the scenes video? n/t

[Brickbat]

13. Yup.

http://stereogum.com/108901/behind_the_scenes_of_mgmts_kids/video/

ETA: I haven't watched the whole thing, so it's possible I missed the part where everyone leaves the room and the kid is screaming alone in the crib. But I doubt it.

[joshcryer]

18. Thanks for that. Definite coaching at 4:30 in that video.

[Ian David]

19. He did look kinda scared during the crib scene, but I don't think he was alone. n/t

[Luminous Animal]

7. Believe me, the kid was not harmed emotionally or physically. It is good

editing and special effects.

[davidinalameda]

8. that's about three minutes of my life I'm never getting back

[Snoutport]

9. sorry man thanks for not defending it

[GReedDiamond]

10. Unrecced for overreaction...

...the video looks like it was produced using composited (chroma key/blue or green or red screen) images, cgi, animation, etc, in addition to some live actors in costume, so I'm pretty sure (like 100%) the child was not endangered or traumatized during the process of filming. Probably no worse than taking a kid that age to a Chucky Cheese birthday party, with those creepy animated anthropomorphised mechanical creatures.

Also, conflating a child's proximity to actors dressed (cheesily) as "scary monsters" during the filming of a music video to child abuse is kinda like decrying exposing young children to Halloween, as someone already pointed out. And it tends to take away from what REAL child abuse is about.

[Ian David]

12. Generally, when children actors are involved, there is a lot of supervision and oversight. n/t

[Arugula Latte]

16. I tend to agree with you, but here is a video showing how they made the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T-PSMPoUpY

If it had been one of my babies I would have grabbed them and run out of there.

[CommonSensePLZ]

20. OOGA-BooGA-BooGA!

What in the hell is that video? Less intelligible than Lady Gaga. The song doesn't appeal much to me either. MGMT seems to just be gimmicky and odd to me and not very impressive, but if they're your taste...

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. Well the song sucks

That in itself is abusive.