that is so awful. what awful parents. how cruel... look at that kids face!

I could hardly bare to watch... that's just one of the most painful things I've ever seen!

upvote: someone find out who this kid is an 1 - buy him an xbox... 2 - give his parents an almighty slap!

I could barely watch this. I wish I could downvote it, just because it's not the kind of thing anyone should watch or possibly get ideas from. This is the kind of thing that subconsciously traumatizes a kid and really has an effect on him as he grows up. That his own family, people that are supposed to love him and support him, would HURT him so badly and then mock him (and you can TELL he's DEVASTATED) is not a good message to be sending.

TedBater failed to mention, not that it lessens the child's trauma in the least, that they really did give him an XBox and just wanted to mentally scar him for life because they caught him peeking at his presents.

To pull the hoax in the first place is cruel, but to then allow him to suffer for so long before unveiling the gift is unspeakably horrible.

"Cry into the camera."

Real nice. Just more evidence of my fear that the each passing generation is enjoying more and more and on a deeper level the misfortune of everyone else on Earth.

Actually Lucky, he didn't get an xbox.

The story came from Engadget here: http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/29/worst-parents-in-the-world-punk-kid-into-thinking-he-got-an-xbox/

And the latest update from them is this:
"Update: We've been flooded with email from well-meaning geeks and even Microsoft; just about everyone wants to help us hook up Jonathan. We think we've gotten in touch with his family (who let us know he never got an Xbox, and the whole thing really was a prank on the poor kid); once we know for sure we have the right people we'll post again."

Sounds like there's no definitive answer, as the submitter says:

My mom decides to buy my brother an Xbox 360 for christmas. We leave that night and return the next morning to find he has sneaked a look....just as my mom thought he would, this is the result...and yes he did get the game i will try to post the second video

We need people like this so we can judge them, point and then feel better about ourselves and our own failings.

well said Farhad

Well, they couldn't afford an Xbox, and apparently, they couldn't afford to give their whiny brat a haircut either...

*dark

Very cruel.

Adding video to channels (Dark) - requested by MycroftHomlz.

Kim Commando just said on air, that she would get this kid an x-box.....

...her and about 10,000 other bleeding hearts-how about slappin' somebody???
Who needs people like what???
oh, older brother filmed it.....

I think this is a dupe of
http://www.videosift.com/video/Bad-birthday-Never-though-your-familly-could-do-this

Those two videos do indeed seem to dupe each other, but I can't figure out which came first.

Leaves a very bad taste in your mouth. Bah... I came to Videosift to enjoy myself, the hell is this man.

I'm off to watch some Internet Porn, laterz

This isn't cruel. Pulling the same prank with a Wii packaging instead... now THAT would be cruel.

I find it funny that everyone failed to ask themselves where they got the actual box from in the first place.

That was unnecessary - kids are dicks but you shouldn't pull that one of them just because you can... terrible and downvote.

Hmmmm. I agree the family could be far, far more sensitive. But I can't help but feel uncomfortable that an expensive video game console might now be perceived as a childhood necessity.

I do understand why this kid's feelings were hurt. But he was given clothes and I feel it's a matter of distorted priorities in an entertainment driven culture that reinforces the idea that clothes are without worth, when so many people around the planet don't have decent clothing, enough food or clean water, every day of their lives.

^LeadingZero

He's just a kid for fuck sakes. You think he gives a rat's ass about prominent entertainment culture in America at the age of 10? Also are you saying that it is unnatural for a kid to want the most popular toy at current market as a Christmas gift? Are you seriously suggesting that?

Besides that point, Emotion is just as much of an important necessity to a child's development as are food and clothing. Believe me, this is coming from experience. And though the definition of 'emotional support' differs between various individuals, one can argue that without parental guide and emotional stability, there are awful lot of ways for an individual to go wrong.

I urge you to reconsider your particular point of view. Not because hearing that kind of ignorant ranting is really really really really upsetting me right now, but because I fear that people like you may breed, have children, and pull the same trick that the parents from this video was pulling on their kid.

How about we go back in time and retriever every christmas present you ever got during your childhood one by one, as your own family point and laugh at your sorrow?

Seriously, what is wrong with you?

upvote for the discussion.
without the discussion this would just be a snuff film.

legacy0100: My point wasn't that the kid was behaving inappropriately whatsoever. He behaved like a ten year old would in that situation. As I acknowledged, the parents were very insensitive. Of course, parent's should nurture their children's emotional health. Further, I would not trick any child that way.

But, does it ever cross your mind that there may be some real downsides to having a society that's so emotionally dependent on electronic luxury items while a majority of the world is struggling for basic goods?

I came from a loving family, but we struggled financially. Once I was in my twenties I realized that I'd been incredibly wealthy by global standards right along. Now, in my thirties, I donate a great deal of my income and my time to NGO's that focus on poverty issues. Hell, maybe I'm an ass, and maybe involving myself in such endeavors won't change that. Maybe it's all just an expression of guilt for living in an absurdly wealthy nation. But I still can't help but feel that our priorities are off balance. I'll put my priorities towards food for a hundred rather than an Xbox for one any day.

You can be upset with me if you choose.

it doesn't matter whether he expected an Xbox 360 or a hairpin; they tricked him into thinking he was getting something that was precious to him and they all stood around laughing at him, FILMING HIM CRYING simply because he believed the packaging - as would ANYONE.

That's beyond cruel, that's just fucking cold. How different is that than when a tall kid holds a 50-cent piece of candy out to another kid and then pulls it away before he can get it? It's called teasing, taunting and it's considered a form of bullying.

Parents aren't supposed to treat their kids like little siblings they are allowed to torture just because they can. Geeziz I fucking can't stand watching people take advantage of kids or bullying them. And I see adults do it all the time... because they can. It's disgusting.

LeadingZero: you're focusing on the package more than the kid is; he's not so upset that he's not getting an xbox (before he ripped the wrapping off, he didn't think he was getting an xbox either) he's upset because he was lied to and then mocked and teased for believing the lie.
FOr you to trivialize his experience simply because the object in contention is an xbox is callous. His pain would be just as real if he had been hoping for a pair of jeans and opened the box to find a cutlery set while everyone mocked him for being disappointed.

smibbo: Again, my point was not to diminish the kid's clearly hurt feelings or the family's cruel mocking behavior. I agree absolutely that he was hurt because his family manipulated his expectations and then teased him.

I was reacting to several of the comments that did indeed fixate somewhat on the Xbox. Apparently I should have been more clear about that in my initial post. (If I'd bothered to express an opinion at all.)

I'm willing to concede that I shouldn't have tried to make the point that I did in this thread as it's clearly not been well received. But I must reject the notion that I'm attempting to trivialize anyone's experience or that I'm callous.

Best regards.

The worst part of all this is that this family will ultimately benefit from the exposure-that this particular 15 minutes may or may not net for them at the child's expense, a backlash of other idiots more concerned about this one scar on the child's psyche, rushing to offer their judgement and their gifts for the "poor child" that do not include better parents....hell, his own damn older brother up-loaded it to youtube...

My girlfriend sent me a link to this WTF kind of family is that And shame on the brother for posting to youtube...

The youtube account is full of people exercising their opinion on this.

The poor kid is nearly crying, that is not funny, its cruel, cruel because your parents you wouldn't expect that from AND THEN post it on the internet...

I would have upvoted it if it was framed as a sad, terrible event committed by parents who are scarring their child for life by showing him that people cannot be trusted or depended upon, but since this is being framed as a "funny prank" I have to use my first downvote.

Eh... Shitty yes but see if that kids going to get stricked again. I bet he'll grow up to be a shrewd business man. Upvote for a valuable lesson learned: parents can be dickheads too.

^Leading Zero: I know you retracted your comment somewhat but did you read what you wrote? Maybe they should have sponsored a child for a dollar a day in Africa and put it inside the box to teach him a valuable lesson about how for charity to be truly effective it should make you want to cry.

GIVE TIL IT HURTS

What the hell do 10 year olds need XBOXs for anyway? Fuck you and go play outside.

>> ^MarineGunrock:
What the hell do 10 year olds need XBOXs for anyway? Fuck you and go play outside.


I agree, but this doesn't change the fact that this event has scarred this kid for life.

Looks like the audio is borked on this one?

We have a dupe here, but I'm not killing it yet because it has working audio... sifters, please figure things out.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Terrible-Parents-The-Gift-that-Keeps-on-Giving

When I was a kid, I needed a desk for my homework and my arts...

When Christmas came around, I opened the gift from my mom and inside was clippings from the Sears catalog with photos of a desk and a note that said, "Yes, I deserved a desk, but No, she couldn't afford one".
Never did get that desk... Worst Christmas Ever - True Story!