Introducing Nap Time!
June 7, 2012 6:54 AM   Subscribe

Introducing Nap Time!, the latest, most effective tool for child tantrum prevention! (SLYT)
posted by robocop is bleeding (57 comments total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
does it make me a bad parent if i LOL'd?
posted by jadayne at 7:10 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


First 60 seconds: hilarious
After that: both tedious and too far, which is kind of a feat
posted by DU at 7:18 AM on June 7, 2012 [8 favorites]


Latest? Nah, we've been doing this since March 30th, 1842. It is effective, though
posted by TedW at 7:19 AM on June 7, 2012


Somebody post a video of people doing similar things to pets and this place would explode with outrage. Child abuse is not fucking funny.
posted by jbickers at 7:20 AM on June 7, 2012 [7 favorites]


this is not that funny, and what is the point? I mean, seriously?
posted by azar at 7:21 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: This is Chloroform!

Also largely devoid of humor. Am I talking about the video or Metafilter? The answer is yes.
posted by BigLankyBastard at 7:28 AM on June 7, 2012 [6 favorites]


So what you're saying is... the Wheel isn't enough?
posted by Madamina at 7:28 AM on June 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


It would have been funnier if the children died more.
posted by orme at 7:33 AM on June 7, 2012 [4 favorites]


Umm... Can we get some real advice for effective child tantrum prevention?
posted by joecacti at 7:40 AM on June 7, 2012


As Mick Napier used to say, "get the funny and get out". They got the funny and then went south.
posted by zerobyproxy at 7:41 AM on June 7, 2012 [7 favorites]


Stopped being funny at the kitchen sink.
posted by rahnefan at 7:47 AM on June 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


I am the type of misanthrope who is equally bothered by both children screaming and children laughing, so this is right up my alley.
posted by backseatpilot at 7:51 AM on June 7, 2012


Can we get some real advice for effective child tantrum prevention?

I find laughing and walking away works well.
posted by DU at 7:51 AM on June 7, 2012 [3 favorites]


That sounded all smartassed but it's not how I meant it...I dig robocop
posted by rahnefan at 7:54 AM on June 7, 2012


Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.

         —Mel Brooks
posted by erniepan at 8:09 AM on June 7, 2012 [9 favorites]


I'm ambivalent about this. When viewed purely as a joke it's funny, then I remember all of the stories of real life fucked up upbringing I've read in AskMeFi.
posted by Daddy-O at 8:10 AM on June 7, 2012


Reminded me of Kidstoned Chewable Valium.
posted by ElDiabloConQueso at 8:11 AM on June 7, 2012


Some things are unfunny and other things are simply not funny. This is both. Neither best nor worst of the web. Unworthy.
posted by rahnefan at 8:19 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


I found this funny, but primarily becuse I can imagine my Republican friends freaking the fuck out about it. It's not good, per se, but at least it pisses those sorts of folks off, so ... net positive!
posted by barnacles at 8:23 AM on June 7, 2012


In terms of real tantrums and dealing with them, more and more we've been turning to connection parenting and the resources and info available at handinhandparenting.org. This article is a good overview.

I know, remarkably boring response, but it's been an amazingly helpful resource for us.
posted by emmet at 8:26 AM on June 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


I was really hoping this would swerve into a testimonial from Dr Heinrich Spaceman, but yeah it just went a little too far. Maybe FunnyOrDie will remake it with Pearl.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:34 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]




does it make me a bad parent if i LOL'd?

Probably not, unless you tried to find it on Amazon.

This video hit the trifecta!

1. Marginal Concept
2. Poor acting
3. WAY too long
posted by HuronBob at 8:48 AM on June 7, 2012


It's no secret that Dr.E is a chemist.

In college, he had full access to the labs and chemicals. Any time he wanted them, he could get them. Senior year, he'd start working in the lab in the evenings and go long into the night completely unsupervised.

Dr.E's best friend was a film major, and he was taking a class with a professor hardcore on attendance. He broached with Dr.E, "How cool would it be if I missed class because I was chloroformed? You have to do this! You have to chloroform me on my way to class!"

Dr.E, who probably has a better sense of humor than I do, said, "I'm not going to chloroform you!"

"Why not! It would be awesome if I could say, 'I missed class because someone chloroformed me!'"

Renditions of this conversation occurred for maybe a week or two with numerous other friends chiming in to say that Dr.E should do this. Dr.E said in his I-appreciate-the-ways-in-which-this-could-be-funny-voice, "I'm not going to chloroform my friend! There could be DEATH. There will be no DEATH!"

And I think this video hit that same chord for me. I appreciate the ways in which this could be funny, and on days when Kid Zizzle would refuse to nap and really need one I could have used a sure-fire-but-safe way of getting him to. But I also see some, for me, blurry lines crossed.

I did laugh at the "I feel pregnant" bit. And that was probably a line crossed. But, I'm only human.
posted by zizzle at 8:52 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Yesterday everyone wets their pants over Jason Alexander's apology for saying something was kindof gay; today child abuse is funny. Welcome to Metafilter.
posted by rahnefan at 8:55 AM on June 7, 2012


Child, wife and zygote abuse, to be precise, which is the comedy trifecta.
posted by delfin at 9:06 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Somebody post a video of people doing similar things to pets and this place would explode with outrage.

The OP just did.

Child abuse is not fucking funny.

*spritz spritz spritz*
posted by Sys Rq at 9:08 AM on June 7, 2012 [18 favorites]


Personally, I found parts of the video laugh out loud hilarious but maybe that's because I'm around two toddlers constantly and the crying, whining and general "toddleriness" of my life put me in the sweet spot for this video.

I am, however, surprised by the cries of child abuse. This was a filmed sketch. These children were never in harm's way and, in fact, most of the children appeared to be in the neighborhood of six to ten.

As a gay man AND someone who would rather die than hurt a child, there is a vast difference between Jason Alexander saying something homophobic and a cheesy comedy sketch advertising a non-existent product.
posted by BrianJ at 9:10 AM on June 7, 2012 [4 favorites]


Note to self: film a cheesy comedy sketch about a fake product that makes gay people stop doing things that annoy people; show a parent nudging her child toward a woodchipper, then suggest your product instead. Thanks BrianJ, I understand comedy now!
posted by rahnefan at 9:21 AM on June 7, 2012


Rahnefan - Might I suggest a bottle of Piss-B-Gone for removing the piss someone obviously put in your Cheerios this morning?

Thanks for the personal attack, btw.
posted by BrianJ at 9:24 AM on June 7, 2012 [4 favorites]


Those are some yummy mummies in the video.

On another note, I'm glad we are not the only ones parenting a seeming demon-child toddler, although it is sometimes comical to watch him chase his older brother around the yard with a hockey stick.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:26 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


This was hilarious.
posted by kjh at 9:41 AM on June 7, 2012


Stopped being funny at the kitchen sink.
When did it start being funny?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:42 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Child abuse is not fucking funny.

Real child abuse is usually not, true. Fictional child abuse, on the other hand, is frequently extremely funny.

You understand that there is a difference, right?
posted by kafziel at 9:44 AM on June 7, 2012 [13 favorites]


Real child abuse is usually not, true. Fictional child abuse, on the other hand, is frequently extremely funny.

You understand that there is a difference, right?


Emphasis mine on the "usually." Interested in hearing about these hilarious instances of real child abuse you have.

As for the difference between real and fictional: Who's up for an FPP about Bonzai Kitten? That thing is hilarious!
posted by jbickers at 9:54 AM on June 7, 2012


Seems to me it wasn't all that long ago when quite a few parents would resort to paregoric to settle a squalling child. This wasn't actual child abuse but an over the top parody of the emotions some of us have felt at times. If you have never experienced a meltdown at a bad time good for you.
posted by pdxpogo at 9:56 AM on June 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


Chloroform isn't what bothers me so much as that disposal. And if I'm just trolling on a pissy day, it's because 1. the skit does really suck, and 2. whether or not something is funny seems grossly situational around here. But that disposal bit actually made me jump.
posted by rahnefan at 10:06 AM on June 7, 2012


Am I evil for laughing at this?
posted by PipRuss at 10:07 AM on June 7, 2012


Years ago, I was on a transatlantic flight with a screaming baby several rows back. Trying to lighten the mood, I turned to my seatmate, a middle-aged woman, and quipped: "Isn't this why they invented Benadryl?" She physically recoiled from me in righteous horror.

So now I'm wondering: which one of you was she?

also, karma being a bitch, in one month I will fly back to the US from Germany with our 18 month old who cannot...and I mean cannot...sit still for longer than 30 seconds.

Can.Not.Wait.

posted by R. Schlock at 10:09 AM on June 7, 2012 [3 favorites]


Here's an airline - corporate communications, no less! - doing more or less the same joke, but doing it funnier. A little bit of empathy goes a long way with this kind of thing.
posted by bicyclefish at 10:11 AM on June 7, 2012


Mod note: Folks, it's okay to not think something funny but maybe leave it at that and maybe one comment about it and then go find something that'll improve your day instead?
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:12 AM on June 7, 2012 [9 favorites]


Well, at least it took a few posts before the pearl clutching began.
posted by Kokopuff at 10:36 AM on June 7, 2012 [3 favorites]


pdxpogo:
"This wasn't actual child abuse but an over the top parody of the emotions some of us have felt at times."
That's how I took it, though I do agree it was too long, late 90's SNL-style.
posted by charred husk at 10:47 AM on June 7, 2012


I liked it, except for the uterus-punching. Seeing bratty kids getting dosed = teh yayz.
posted by Gator at 10:56 AM on June 7, 2012


And if I'm just trolling on a pissy day, it's because 1. the skit does really suck, and 2. whether or not something is funny seems grossly situational around here.

If you don't like black humour, fine. But black humour is clearly not what Jason Alexander's comments were. The fact is, comedy is completely situational. The uterus-punching shocked me and made me uncomfortable, but that's what black humour does. That's what it's supposed to do.
posted by smorange at 11:39 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


I got some chortles out of it and also some 'ugh' - the garbage disposal bit. What I really really hated were the credits at the end. It's like dropping a really good Bon mot, and then staying around to talk about how good it was, why it was good and how clever you are for thinking of it. Look, filmmakers you made a funny (the dr saying, "it's, chloroform" the tackling guy on the golf course), don't fucking expect me to pat you on the back. I want to know who made the funny the innernet will tell me in a second or two...
posted by From Bklyn at 1:06 PM on June 7, 2012


Child abuse is not fucking funny.

Why you little...!
posted by Pope Gustafson I at 1:22 PM on June 7, 2012


Wow, there have been kids whose behavior problems were handled by their parents with chloroform?
posted by 0xdeadc0de at 2:52 PM on June 7, 2012


I will only say this: in the first five minutes, I laughed out loud, because that first boy's reaction to the initial "no" was exactly what one of my six-year-olds has just stopped doing, and exactly what my other six-year-old has just started doing. When I say "no". To anything. Or even if I thoughtfully pause before answering, as they know that is most likely going to be a "no". Oh, and a few days ago, my daughter did that when I said "yes" because she was expecting a "no", and when she realized it was a "yes" I thought she was going to choke on her tongue trying to stop the tantrum.

MetaFilter: Uhhhhhhnnnnnnnnn!
posted by davejay at 2:55 PM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Five minutes? Five seconds.
posted by davejay at 2:55 PM on June 7, 2012


Wow, there have been kids whose behavior problems were handled by their parents with chloroform?

If they could get it. More likely they would use valium or whatever depressant they had around. Little alcohol in the baby bottle. Blocking their nose and mouth till they pass out stops tantrums too. That is mostly for babies, if they are old enough to understand language, then you can just beat them and lock them in their room.

Every time I see something like this, it brings up memories of real children. I am sure those children would just love to know that their plight was funny in the right circumstances.

I would like to see this go the way of racist humor, holocaust jokes and animal torture. I think the people laughing at it are doing so from a lack of empathy and a lack of experience. I would like to see them volunteer at a youth shelter and re-approach this afterwards.
posted by psycho-alchemy at 3:22 PM on June 7, 2012


I thought it was funny, but then I only had three or so hours sleep last night thanks to my adorable and utterly loved two year old, so maybe I'm not quite thinking straight.
posted by markr at 4:30 PM on June 7, 2012


The humor got too dark for me by the end, but I'm also the sort of person who envisions a world stocked with St. Joseph's Chewable Xanax. Costco size. Or maybe just atomize that shit and pump it through the vents.

How much longer till school is back in session?
posted by bibliowench at 5:19 PM on June 7, 2012


I am surprised by the number of people who have either not experienced a child's total meltdown or had never thought during said meltdown that they would do anything to get the child to be quiet. This is just awesomely black humor. Like with most instances of humor, not funny in real life. Should we tell The Office to shut it down because in the real world dealing with bad bosses is upsetting?
posted by Anonymous at 8:10 PM on June 7, 2012


Stopped being funny when the kid fell off the couch.
posted by thinkpiece at 7:31 AM on June 8, 2012


I'm the mother of two small children, for whom I would gladly throw myself in front of a train. My five-and-a-half-year-old can talk literally continuously for six literal hours -- maybe longer, it was after six hours that I said "OH MY GOD GO PLAY OUTSIDE" and almost bodily threw her out the door. My one-and-a-half-year-old is in the process of giving up his morning nap.

I found this video hilarious. My husband also found it hilarious. The closest either of us would ever or have ever come to drugging our children is giving the aforementioned five-year-old a dose of benadryl before a flight that had been delayed into the red-eye timeslot. But ohhhhhh wow there are times when the thought of chloroforming them is very comforting.
posted by KathrynT at 2:06 PM on June 9, 2012


i can't decide which is funnier: the video or all the humourless people getting upset about it.
posted by Decani at 6:27 AM on June 11, 2012


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