Off-Topic: Baldwin goes Bonesaw

I don't know whether to laugh or cry...

Agreed Kevin - at least he's parenting. I didn't think it sounded that out of whack. Every parent worth a damn will tell their kids that they're going to get their ass straightened out when they act up for 6 months straight (as she did)...the media is eating it up though like he's abusive.

The media is abusive.

I'm sorry, did you listen to the same audio? He is not giving her 'tough love'. He is complaining that he's sooo important, that he had to go all out of his way 'to find a phone' (WTF, he doesn't have a cell), and it made him 'look like an ass' to call his daughter. Are you kidding me????

She may be a big b!#*@, and it's fine to get angry with your kid because you care and you want to change their attitude, but his whole reasoning for taking it out on her was because of what it did to him and him alone. Calling her names is a real grown up way of showing her how to handle things when you're angry, huh (pig, lazy, etc.). She could use Brat Camp, not a bitchfest by her dad about why she's so crappy as a human being.

No offense to the majority of the users of this blog, but I found the same attitude prevalent (but not everyone) among the well off Americans I met in Miami last month. They were so self centered and everything had to be done for them just right, or they would complain to everyone and anyone just because they paid for this and they deserved that and blah blah blah. Typically these were parents who were doing it right in front of their children, like this was the effective way to get things done their way. Looking good for the future...

Sorry for the rant, but in my opinion that is NOT good parenting.

I think it was the stress... just bought a house. A week ago we weren't even thinking of moving. Life moves fast sometimes.

I've got a better question:

...How did this voicemail became national-friggin news???
...Why do we care???

I don't mean to be sarcastic but its mind blowing to me - not the fact that we do care but how our national news media operates. According to our news outlets, nothing happened last week except for the Virginia Tech rampage and Alec Baldwin chewing out his daughter on a cell phone.

The lines between US magazine and CNN are becoming harder to distinguish - and beyond the fact that there are a lot of bad parents in this country (but even more good ones) - THAT is a sad fact IMO.