Dadding
Dad Shoots Daughter’s Laptop Dead (Video)
Varmint, there's only room enough for one laptop in this town
A North Carolina father is bound to find himself either a hero or a villain, depending on who it is you’re polling.
Here’s the scoop on this modern tale with an Old West twist.
Tommy Jordan, an IT professional, recently discovered that his 15 year-old teenage daughter had posted a lengthy discourse on Facebook in which she complains that her parents are guilty of just about every charge listed in the Disgruntled Teen’s Handbook of Wild Injustice.
From complaining about being asked to make coffee for her parents to being forced to clean up around the house, internet viewers are treated to a self-made video of a passionate reading of the young lady’s composition by none other than her dear old dad.
Click here to watch dad take aim and fire.
At one point, between drags on his cigarette, the cowboy-hatted Jordan stops his recitation to say say how much he is blown away by his daughter’s next sentence.
Then, he reads it to us:
“You tell me at least once a day that I need to get a job…you could just pay me for all the @$!# I do around the house.”
The elder Jordan practically sizzles with disbelief at that.
“Seriously?” he asks, staring straight into the camera.
Of course, the real action, the real cyber-Shakespeare stuff happens towards the end of the 8-plus minute video when Tommy Jordan turns the camera, first on to his daughter’s laptop lying there in the winter grass, and then on to his .45 caliber handgun.
9 shots later: the outlaw known as FaceBook lies dead in the southern afternoon.
Now, I have to be honest here: initially, coming in to this story, I was prepared for another tale of a wack-a-doo parent with no social skills and a primitive mindset. I wanted to dislike this guy for embarrassing the hell out of his daughter (he sort of dedicates the video to all of her FaceBook friends who enjoyed her rant) and then for using a gun to retaliate.
But, the part of me that was leaning that way is now losing out to the part of me who thinks that maybe Tommy Jordan isn’t a bad dad at all. He seems pretty likeable, actually. He seems genuinely hurt and confused by his daughter’s public slamming of her parents and he seems almost desperate, if not impetuous, to find a way to deal with it, and with her.
Now, I don’t recommend the gunplay for anyone. (Lord knows that the era when most Dads could sling lead with any kind of accuracy is long gone.)
But there is a certain old-school Old West essence to Mr. Jordan and his ancient frustrations and the way he tries to shoot ‘em up.
It’s kind of charming in a way. I may be wrong. But, I may be right, too.
What do you think? Is he crazy? Is he wrong? Is he a hero or a villain?
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17 Comments
(London) Amanda commented on Feb 10 12 at 8:47 amHis version of the chores don’t sound unreasonable.
Aside from the issues of his parenting skills, it was quite funny and he’ll probably make a stack of money from the YouTube hits.
You might want to keep the video tucked away to show to Wylet in about twelve years!
Wonder if you could shoot a Mac dead. Paul once had a client whose little iMac flew out of the car in a motorway crash, bounced about 50 yards down the motorway and still worked.
Laura B commented on Feb 10 12 at 9:25 amThere is nothing more difficult than *successfully* parenting teenagers. I had no idea until I both of mine went full throttle F YOU.
I have been in his place. The anger, the bewilderment, the hurt. What keeps you going is the memory of your baby and how sweet, wonderful, funny and crazy hard it was to live on no sleep with barf and baby food all over you. These memories are so important as your teen stretches out their own mind by playing with yours.
I’ve seen so many parents fail their teens (and most of those kids are at my house on nights and weekends). My favorite part about what he did is that he didn’t humiliate her – he simply pointed out what he thought was absurd, noted she had hurt her family and then made his point with absolute clarity. Gotta love that.
LK commented on Feb 10 12 at 11:43 amI certainly sympathize with his frustration, and there is definitely something appealing in the drama and old west “style” of it, but I have to say that ultimately I agree more with Lisa Belkin’s take on the whole thing: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-belkin/father-shoots-laptop_b_1267850.html?ref=twitter&comm_ref=false. My kid is only 2 right now, but I remember myself as a teenager, and I’m sure it’s extremely difficult when raising teenagers not to act like one yourself because they know exactly how to push your buttons. But as a parent, I think you really have to try your best to resist that impulse – and especially when it comes to posting videos about your child and your family drama on the internet. I don’t think public humiliation (and I would absolutely say that’s what this was – there are almost 1.5 million views on YouTube) was the best parenting choice here.
Vicki Howell commented on Feb 10 12 at 12:07 pmWhile this may seem extreme to some folks, the Dad in the video was in line with the times. This is what it is today. Videos will convey more meaning to a kid than anything he could say to her face-to-face. Besides the fact that the kid will be embarrassed to pieces, he has met her on her own turf, and she will respect him for that eventually.
I like this guy. I like what he did. I agree with him. His daughter sounds entitled to me, and she needs to see what it is like when she is not given everything that she thinks that she wants.
Welcome to the real world, kid.
Mandy commented on Feb 10 12 at 12:09 pmI get that he likely humiliated her, but she probably became kind of famous for it anyway, amongst the kids at school.
What I noticed was how he pointed out that her mother wanted him to put a bullet in for her too (and had referenced a stepmother) which means he discussed his plan with his ex-wife, which to me shows active co-parenting, which I think is fabulous.
Texas is different, guns are common place, I think in his mind this was the only thing he could think of to get through to her. Hindsight is 20/20 and maybe he’ll realize later it wasn’t, or perhaps it was. That’s for his family to figure out. But he seems like a stand up guy to me.
amygringas commented on Feb 10 12 at 12:41 pmThis man is definitely a hero! And if my child ever decides to pull a stunt like this – they’ll be getting the same punishment.
Brett commented on Feb 10 12 at 1:07 pmI think this guy is working hard at being a “#1 Great Dad” ! But, I think he wasted nine bullets and a pretty nice (just upgraded at his expense) laptop. I wouldn’t have used the gun. I would have saved the bullets and sold the laptop instead ! (and probably her cell phone, TV, MP3 player and anything else I’d bought that she didn’t “Need” or hadn’t “Earned”)
Brett
another monica commented on Feb 10 12 at 1:27 pmi don’t have any children, so take what i say with a grain of salt. i thought the video was hilarious and the guy is quite a character… and whilst he certainly taught his daughter a lesson, i don’t know… i pushed my parent’s buttons like the best of them as a teen, but i kind of admired my folks for not stooping down to my level.
Starsky commented on Feb 10 12 at 2:05 pmYour life is not hard, but “it’s about to get a lot harder”.
A gun and hollow point shells are a bit over the top, but who am I to judge?
Caitlin commented on Feb 10 12 at 7:53 pmI agree he seems likeable. His response to the media attention seems charming, and sheds a little light on his relationships with his daughter. It’s really none of our place to judge anyway, obviously, but it seems like he is an old-fashioned parent who doesn’t try to be best friends with his kid. I actually really respect everything he said. The bullets, well….. I think my knee-jerk cringe is because I’ve never been around and know nothing about gun culture.
Liz commented on Feb 10 12 at 8:15 pmCan’t imagine where she learned to post long, dramatic rants on the internet.
Hanni commented on Feb 10 12 at 10:34 pmHonestly, I think the way he handled the situation wonderfully. If my kid EVER acts that entitled and spoiled, she’ll likely get the same treatment…except I’ll use a 12 gauge (and I’m a damn good shot), not a handgun. And for the folks in all of the comments (here and huff post) who keep saying that he shot a perfectly good laptop…so what? He can buy a couple thousand of them from the money he just made on you tube…
Hanni commented on Feb 10 12 at 10:35 pmOops – “think he handled the situation…”
sergebielanko commented on Feb 11 12 at 5:35 amHey, thanks for sharing your opinions here, folks. I think each of you has seriously good points.
And truthfully, I am not sure how I would feel about all this if I were the daughter, who has to be considered at this point. I’m certain she’s embarrassed and probably going through a period of Dad-You’re-Dead-To-Me, but as I look at this a second time I wonder whether her Dad might have did a little damage in the trust department.
Only time will ever tell, I guess.
Hanni commented on Feb 11 12 at 4:51 pmThat may be true, but if if it’s also true that they had a previous incident like this then I think she used up her chances. The thing is, I’m not sure if kids truly realize that anything that they put “out there” on the internet will be there FOREVER and that even though they may think their information is private, anyone who really wants to see it, can see it. Of course, that also holds true for the dad in this case – that video will be there for his grandkids to see someday…and they BOTH have to live with that. So while I love how he handled the situation, I’d feel more comfortable with it if it could be “taken back” after the world sees it. But posting it for the world to see in perpetuity may have been the only way that she’ll actually learn something from this. Although he may regret it ten years from now if she actually turns out to be a decent human being…
KatheM commented on Feb 11 12 at 11:37 pmThis didn’t happen in Texas — it happened in North Carolina. And good for him, although he may take some blowback, business-wise. Nowadays you can’t slap your kids. My niece and nephews are so ill-behaved I decided not to have any kids. Good parenting requires sacrifice, and I didn’t think it was worth it.
BTW, no one ever died of embarrassment. Hannah, I am sure, will now get her rear in gear.
Beta Dad commented on Feb 14 12 at 2:18 amI still can’t believe that the majority of comments I’ve read about this sideshow have been in support of this idiot. Taking away the laptop? Fine. Selling it? Sure. But publicly responding like a butthurt teenager in retaliation to your own child is setting a terrible example. And then the embarrassingly macho display with the gun? The poor girl is humiliated by what a douche her dad is at best; and afraid for her life at worst.
More ranting here: http://butterbeanandcobra.blogspot.com/2012/02/gun-toting-disciplinarian-dad-is-idjit.html
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