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An angry father who works in IT didn't appreciate what his daughter had to say in an indignant letter addressed to her parents and posted to Facebook, so he did what every teenage dad has probably fantasized about doing at some point or another. He shot himself (with a video camera) shooting his daughter's laptop several times at point blank range with his trusty .45 while wearing a cowboy hat, and then posted the video to her Facebook Timeline.
You've probably seen the 8+ minute video, which went viral over the weekend and has amassed more than 21 million hits so far. If not, check out the embedded clip below, though be warned there's some colorful language that comes from him reading his daughter's scathing letter, word for word, in which she depicts herself as a "slave" in a profanity laced tirade over her daily chores and overall "hard" life.
The dad, whose name is Tommy Jordan, was never supposed to read the letter, which was hidden from view on Facebook. But when your dad is an IT guy, as he points out several times in the video, you should probably assume anything you hide on your computer will eventually be found, especially if you're asking him to upgrade it, which the teenage daughter did. According to the dad, he just spent $130 on software for her laptop.
Not only has his video gone viral, but it's sparked a debate over parenting. Many have posted comments in support of his tough love approach, which you can find here, while others have questioned his approach and whether shooting his daughter's laptop is likely to improve the family dynamic. Even Jordan himself seems conflicted.
"I’ll agree that wasn’t a good example of me as a father. I had been reading that post again and again for about an hour, sometimes in tears, other times so mad my hands were shaking and I was trying very hard to be civil in my message. I slipped in that and said a word I shouldn’t have. I deserve a little backlash for that, no doubt," Jordan said in a follow-up post.
What are your thoughts on what he did?
Comments are closed on this article
praack
February 17, 2012 at 7:19am
aww c'mon now,
we used to write letters and hide them - or destroy them right after. so she wrote it and posted it but in a way he normally would not see. wow - so much like a teen.
god you guys get a grip!
amazing how your minds have erased all that it thought about- or wrote about- back then
acidic
February 14, 2012 at 12:45pm
good for the dad in two ways 1) not letting her buy a mac book pro or another shitty apple product 2) maybe she will straighten her spoiled ass up now
biggiebob12345
February 14, 2012 at 12:24pm
My HP laptop has been overclocked since 2007 and is still working as I type.
Device Unknown
February 14, 2012 at 5:37am
If you notice that thousands of people have responded. The MAJORITY seen it as justifiable. So to those whining and bitching that he was too harsh or wrong you are the problem with society today. It's your candy ass approach to raising children that is making the world go to shit. We have a generation of kids that feel the world owes them for existing. They have no respect, no discipline, no ethics at all. All because the parents are too damn stupid to raise there children correctly. I am honestly worried about our world with the next few generations coming up because of the sniveling parents with no back bone.
biggiebob12345
February 14, 2012 at 12:25pm
The same majority who see this as justifiable are the same majority that don't have a clue. He should have donated the laptop to charity if he wanted to be a reasonable and responsible adult. Responsible gun owners also only fire their weapons either at a range or in self defense. He's a moron and so are the people who see nothing wrong with what he did.
Blues22475
February 14, 2012 at 7:35am
I agree with you somewhat, but it might spawn hatred towards your parents however right they really are (at least that's the case with my father and I).
Generation parenting is actually getting worse as you said. I see kids now adays get away with things that I couldn't (unless I wanted to get clocked upside my head with a belt). The advent of technology and tv parents take it as the "easy button" for their kids (at least this is how I see it).
biggiebob12345
February 13, 2012 at 9:13pm
Dad should maybe look in the mirror as to why his daughter is a brat. Probably one of those a-holes that wants their kids to call them "sir" and beats his wifey after a night at the bar.
Jacob Stanbery
February 13, 2012 at 4:59pm
I'm a 15 year old kid with one thing to say: "Go dad!"
If I would have done anything like that, my laptop would have probably been run over by a car. The gun was a pretty cool touch.
Keith E. Whisman
February 13, 2012 at 4:49pm
That 1911 is pretty nice, but it only holds 8 rounds and the original GI model only held 7 rounds. On the other hand my Glock model 22 holds 15 .40 Cal S&W rounds and I have some 31 round magazines as well. If I were the one doing the shooting, that laptop wouldn't look like a laptop.
Ottoman
February 14, 2012 at 6:30pm
Actually the mag holds 7 rounds. He had an extra round in the chamber making it 8. It is riskier but anyone serious about having a firearm for self-defense or home defense should be keeping a round in the chamber anyways.
And what is with the glock(grenade) bragging? The 1911 is a beauty and 8 rounds was all he needed. Unless he expects CQB with a squad of robbers, 8 rounds is all he will ever need.
Ridnarhtim
February 13, 2012 at 3:05pm
Wow, what a moron. Some people are just NOT fit to be parents. I'm willing to bet he was a bully in school, because he still is one towards his daughter.
Svetty Parabols
February 13, 2012 at 5:02pm
Exactly how is he being a bully? Are you one of these thirteen year olds that think that since his balls dropped he is an adult?
1. She is a minor and HE is responsible for anything she does.
2. If he bought the laptop, it's his regardless whether he gave it to her or not.
I just love these kids today that think they can call children's services just because they didn't get the Ipod or Easy Bake oven they wanted. Shes damn lucky to have a dad that actually gives a shit about her.
Ridnarhtim
February 15, 2012 at 6:10am
Edit: sorry about the massive load of text. The tl:dr version: Even at 16, she's still a kid, and requires support and kindness, not threats and bullying.
***
First of all, I am 25. I am responsible, have a great job, and consider myself kind, polite, and well brought up. Neither of my parents would ever DREAM of sinking to this level. It's bullying because he isn't raising his daughter, or teaching her to respect him, or herself - all this kind of behavious does is causing her to fear and hate him.
The solution in this kind of situation? TALK. Did he ever talk to her about WHY he thinks it's reasonable for her to do chores? Did he maybe think about the fact that going to school isn't always just a piece of cake? Some children find it hard. Some get bullied, or are depressed. These are the kind of issues that need to be ADDRESSED, not beaten out of them.
Secondly, respect. He doesn't respect her privacy in the slightest. Especially at that age, teenagers need a degree of freedom. Who cares if she complains? Is she hurting anyone? No. I'll agree that she's way off to think she doesn't have to do any chores, that she doesn't seem to appreciate anything her parents do for her. So, once again, the solution is to talk.
I myself find job applications terrifying. I came out of uni and procrastinated for a year before I started applying, essentially wasting my time and my parents' money sitting around being afraid. Did they threaten me? No. That would have lead to me hiding more, and getting more upset and depressed. Instead, I eventually spent a week at my dad's house, where he sat down with me and worked through one application after another with me. By the end of it, I was doing them myself, no problem.
Here's another thought: What if she killed herself? Teenagers commit suicide, it happens and it's not even that rare. Sure, it would be stupid, a massive overreaction, she has it so easy blah blah blah. But let's say it happened? Do you think the dad's thoughts are going to be "oh, how stupid of her, what an overreaction, it was just a laptop, she didn't know how easy her life was?" No! (Or if yes, he is a moron and doesn't care about her). If he has any shred of decency, he will be beating himself up and thinking "I should've talked to her. I should've noticed something was wrong, instead of shooting her laptop and embarrassing her in front of everyone on Facebook.
To address your two points directly: Of course he didn't do anything illegal. Yes, he is responsible for anything she does, and yes, he has the right to do whatever the hell he wants to that laptop. But with that also comes the responsibility of bringing up a decent adult, and this kind of crap will NEVER do that. It won't teach her self-respect, it won't make her eager to do work or please her parents, it will just humiliate her and piss her off.
mls067
February 15, 2012 at 7:51pm
I have to say you obviously do not have kids, much less teenagers. In the video he stated that this wasn't the first time, so I'm sure he talked to her once--all the while she stared at him blankly thinking of crappy ways to get out of it and get back at him for being so unfair.
as far as privacy goes, do you read the news? I told my kids that I would always watch their myspace and then facebook accounts to make sure everything was ok. With the crap kids pull these days and the stupid pedo's running loose I find it my duty to make sure none of that was going on. I could give a crap about the mundane teenage chatter. It annoys me, but if things ever got out of hand I would have know. At one point it did and I saved my daughters life from the very thing you spoke about--suicide. If I would have been the kind of parent you think I should be I would have never known and she might not be in one of the top art schools in the country right now.
mls067
February 13, 2012 at 7:39pm
that's exactly what I thought when I read that post. I guess the dad was just suppose to laugh it off as just another teen saying dumb things..
bawhahaa, that was so cute what lil sally just done said..oh I tell ya, teenagers they say the darnedest things..BLAH!!
I would have drove her to school in my robe and walked her to every class( in a car just like uncle bucks)!!
mls067
February 13, 2012 at 12:29pm
When my daughters were around tens years old I had a problem with them not hanging their coats up when they came home from school. I told them repeatedly I would throw the coats in the trash if it kept up. Well, that one day came and the next morning they walked up to me and asked why their coats were in the garbage, " we have to get to school!"
I know it's not as scathing as what that man had to go through, but my kids knew from that point forward I was always going to do what I said I was going do when it came to punishment. Now that they are in their twenties, they have thanked me for being that way because they see some of their friends manipulate their parents to no end and they only come off as spoiled brats.
My children know that there are always going to be boundaries in life, not just with me, and when you overstep those boundaries there are going to be consequences.
my two cents
TommM
February 13, 2012 at 11:26am
It was an interesting (and a little melodramatic) way to impose punishment. But I think it fit the crime, especially after this was her second offense.
Think I would have rather seen him reformat the hard drive and donate it to a charity, but that wouldn't have made very good video. ;)
In the end, I don't have a problem with it. With the slew of entitlement kids we have running around today, it's nice to see someone putting their foot down.
chiroho
February 13, 2012 at 11:14am
As a parent of a daughter a few years younger, I think this was just awesome - particularly after reading the explanations for what he did, and why he did it. This wasn't an over the top reaction to a single infraction. This was him following through on a promise he made if his daughter crossed a line again.
As I've told my children: don't think that you can get away with anything on the internet. I'll find out eventually, and then you'll lose your privileges. And that's what internet access is, and what Tommy Jordan demonstrated to his daughter.
And based on what he's said, his relationship with his daughter is actually better now than it was before because they've been able to bond over the responses. What more could a father ask for?
Laszlo44
February 13, 2012 at 10:50am
I don't own a gun so I wouldn't have done it that way, but with my kids (I have 5) I would have done something similar. Ultimately, he hasn't said he won't allow her to have a computer, he said she can buy her own.
And I have come close with my two oldest kids. Fortunately, they took the warning and have tried to improve. And they have never been that disrespectful to me. Close but not that bad.
What most teens really don't realize is that, at the worst, they still don't have as tough a life as they will when they are older, responsible for themselves, with no one to run to for help when they can't deal with a crisis. Sure they can call mom or dad but most likely it'll be just some emotional support. The rest is up to them.
zNelson24
February 13, 2012 at 10:49am
I can't say I approve of humiliating someone on such a huge level, but it's not my call to make (I'm not the parent). I do like how he is monitoring his kid's use of the internet. I'm 20 years old, and I have nothing agianst kids. It's just that there are many kids that believe that the internet is a consequence free environment, with the misconception that the internet isn't real life.
Take for example: Jessi Slaughter. She mouthed off to a YouTube audience, and that audience responded. When her parents found out about some rather nasty comments that were posted, they threatened the internet with calls to the "cyber police" and whatnot. The internet responded to those threats with sharing her family's doxes, making several prank phone calls, and the incident even got the attention of Good Morning America. In a nutshell: parents weren't attentative to their child's online activities, she wasen't disiplined for her misbehavior, and ultimatly paid for it.
Now in this article's situation, we have a dad that paid attention to his kid's online activities. When she misbehaved, she got her online access cut off. If her behavior continued onto other public parts of the internet, I'd imagine worse things would've happened.
bloodgain
February 13, 2012 at 10:17am
I questioned if it was the best parenting choice at first, then I read a couple of his responses to the publicity on his Facebook page (which he made public).
She had recently regained "unsupervised" Internet privileges for a previous infraction. As she was regaining this privilege, they discussed what was and was not appropriate behavior, and she agreed to the terms. He ended the conversation by telling her this was her chance to prove she could be responsible and respectful, and not to expect it to always be so easy as a few weeks' revoked privileges. "Next time," he told her, "I'll put a bullet through it."
So yeah, maybe it was a bit overboard, and he was originally exaggerating about shooting her laptop to make a point. However, since this was around a week into her privileges being restored, he felt he had to prove that he would do exactly as he said -- a highly recommended parenting tactic. He even called his wife to give him a way out, and she said, "Sorry, honey. Put one in it for me while you're at it."
I question his decision to put it up on YouTube, even if it was meant for the people who can see her Facebook wall. However, it does teach her a lesson about taking her grievances public instead of just having a bitch-session with a few friends. I might have done the same thing, except I would have taken it to a local shooting range.
ShadowGryphon
February 14, 2012 at 8:23am
She posted that bit of vitriol on facebook for all and sundry to see, so his reaction is justified.
gribittmep
February 13, 2012 at 12:04pm
When a parent makes the consequences for certain behavior clear to a child and they don't follow through with it the child soon learns that they can get away with anything. He warned her and needed to follow through. And he did.
Hey.That_Dude
February 13, 2012 at 9:41am
I only dislike this fact:
The whole world is just going to write this off as "Southern" culture of violence.
Would have been much more of an IT thing to let the computer kill itself and release the magic smoke. Shooting it is just so, forgive me, "Red-Neck".
Digital-Storm
February 13, 2012 at 9:31am
A true IT guy wouldn't destroy such valuable equipment, and sure as hell wouldn't spend 130 dollars on software to "upgrade" a laptop.
munky101
February 13, 2012 at 11:04am
A "True IT" guy you say. Then as an expert in this field you are away that that was not a new ultra-book or a mac-book. It was a run of the mill laptop that foes for about $350 at wally world. But that is neither here nor there. This was not about his IT prowess, it was about keeping his word to teach his daughter(who to him is worth many times more than a laptop!) a lesson.
Digital-Storm
February 13, 2012 at 12:52pm
A better lesson would have been to sell the laptop. Or perhaps give it away to someone who is less wealthy and could use it more. Regardless, destruction of valuable equipment is stupid in every way.
gribittmep
February 13, 2012 at 3:12pm
He needed to follow through with the consequences that he made clear to his daughter if she continued her poor behavior. And he did.
MrHasselblad
February 13, 2012 at 12:45pm
It's the mirrored plastic HP casing. Even though the laptop was just over one year old; it did have (noting past tense) an above average I7 chip and retailed for over fifteen hundred.
Not Wally World, but not quite Origin either
blindhorizon
February 13, 2012 at 10:55am
I have to disagree with you on this one Digital-storm, I am a network admin with 2 kids and 2 laptops at home as much as i respect my hardware there comes a time to making a point i would blow the holy crap out of my laptops in front of them, hell i would have put it in a skeet shooter and hit it with my shotgun. its just a piece of equipment that would be outdated in 6 months anyways and comeon how cheap are laptops these days.
I think he did he right thing, and i don't really care what other people are saying to him or his family. I believe all parents should be like him, if you say it mean it!!
gribittmep
February 13, 2012 at 10:09am
When I was a kid and was going through a period that I was disrespectful of my parents my dad gave away my bike (that he had paid for). He told me I could have another bike when I got a job and paid for it myself. I soon had a paper route and purchased a new bike. I learned a valuable lesson and began treating my parents with the respect that they deserved.
CaptainFabulous
February 13, 2012 at 9:22am
I saw this the other day and it's 8 minutes of pure awesome. The only thing better would have been seeing his daughter's expression when she watched this.
gribittmep
February 13, 2012 at 12:07pm
The only thing better would be for me to have as nice a .45 as he has. Mine is much more utilitarian. Maybe with the current administration's entitlement mindset I can get them to send me one!
Ottoman
February 14, 2012 at 6:34pm
Not likely, since this administration's mindset is to sell weapons to drug cartels so that when they are used to kill people, they can blame it on the lax gun laws and attempt to impose bans. In essence, don't expect them to send you a free gun.
rawrnomnom
February 13, 2012 at 9:12am
He should have set it up sideways and shot it through the side... would have been much more dramatic.
nmanguy
February 13, 2012 at 9:01am
He gets a share of the ad revenue, right? Because he might be able to buy a dozen laptops right about now.
