Couple Blame Neglect On Internet Addiction

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It seems that two people are trying to use internet addiction as a defense for severely neglecting their two infant children. The mainstream media wasted no time jumping on the fact that these scumbags played video games, like that is what caused them to neglect the babies.

A couple who authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.
 
Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said.

:D

Deadbeat parents. :(
 
The sad thing is that watchdog groups/Jack/Hillary and others like them will end up latching onto this. Somehow it’s never the fault of the parents, (why take responsibility for ones own actions,) when you can just blame the flavor of the month as being the culprit behind your lot in life…

These two are a total waste of genetic material…
 
Well, they make me embarrassed to live in the same city. With all of the other addictions available in our 24-hour mini Las Vegas, it surprises me that they obsessed over video games, and not one of the other many vices.

"Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said."

If it wasn't an inheritance, it would have been credit cards. It's such a shame that nobody stepped in sooner... one of these two had to have had parents that wanted to see their grandchildren, right? At any rate, you should have seen their faces when this was shown on the local news last week. They look like total meth addicts.

Prison rape FTW.
 
There is no excuse for neglect. I say let the bastiages rot.
 
:D

Deadbeat parents. :(

thats all there is to it. Its not the video games or the internet's fault. If they wern't responsible enough to pull themselves away from the comp to take care of their kids thats their own problem

At least they pleaded guilty.
 
this is rediculous! i've been playing video games for something like the past 18 years and the only thing i ever neglect is to do the dishes when i get into a good one!
 
As being a father myself that plays video games, I cannot begin to comprehend this story. My wife classifies me as a video game "junky" I play whenever I am able to jump on the PC or fire up Xbox Live. But not feeding your kids? Letting them starve because why? Your Clan needs you?

"Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration."

Seriously, Cat Urine? I hope they get maximum jail time. There nothing on this planet that could justify their actions.
 
I am not a father yet but my wife also classifies me as a video game "junky". She saw this story and looked at me saying that even someone that loves games as much as I do would never do that to his kids. Sick sick sick!

I hope they get the maximum time alloted to think about what they have done. Heck, maybe someone should forget to feed and bathe them while they are rotting in prison. ;)
 
Pains me to imagine them clicking away while their kids are crying in another room. :(
 
I've been known to do some gaming while my kids are busy playing, watching TV, etc., but if they need me for something I don't have any problem getting away from the game long enough to see what they need. I've had to tell people in a raid group in WoW to hang on a sec while I change a poopy or help my kids go to the bathroom or help them with whatever else they need. Nobody has ever given me a hard time about it. I've even had people in a raid group take a minute to go smoke some dope or whatever. Nobody expects you to give up your life to play on the computer. These people aren't video game addicts, they just didn't care enough about their kids to love them and see that they got the daily attention and affection they need.
 
People who abuse or neglect children like that should be subjected to the most painful punishment possible.

The amount of damage they are doing to a helpless child is unbelievable.....grr

I say take em to shark infested water, throw em over board and then claim fear of water as reason to not be able to save them
 
I show no sympathy to people like this, story changes but same shit over time for each generation.
 
If I knew where these two were jailed at, I'd buy a few Xbox 360's for the officers there in the hope that they would be distracted (not "neglect") the couple for a few weeks.

Apathy and negligence are not going to hold up in court. Especially after they spent the inheritance on a plasma TV and gaming equipment.

Someone please revoke this couple's license to breed.
 
Wow this is just sad, it is just another case of people trying to find a blame other than themselves.
 
So what now?

According to the article: video games = meth? :eek:

Please tell me the defense isn't really going to use that as an argument. What won't they blame on video games next?
 
If I knew where these two were jailed at, I'd buy a few Xbox 360's for the officers there in the hope that they would be distracted (not "neglect") the couple for a few weeks.

Apathy and negligence are not going to hold up in court. Especially after they spent the inheritance on a plasma TV and gaming equipment.

Someone please revoke this couple's license to breed.

They are located at the Washoe County Sheriff's Department on Parr Blvd here in Reno. Like I said, prison rape ftw.
 
Holy $H!+ , an 11 month old weighing 10 pounds? Didn't any bells ring in the pea brains of the rest of their scumbag friends & family? The mom still has her myspace page up. Those kids are so cute. Let the parents rot. :mad:
 
When did responsibility become a dirty word in this society?People are always blaming something else for their lack of it rather than admit their own guilt.Anyone remember the infamous "Twinkie defense"? It seemed so ridiculous,yet here we are blaming the addiction of the month for all of society's woes.Addiction is just another word for irresponsibility.No one forced these people to go on the net,or forced anyone to open another bottle of booze,or stick a needle in their arm,or put another coin in a slot machine.Rather than face the daily challenges of life,they seek the easy way out.
 
*Waits for Jack Thompson*

But really, I been gaming for years and I know my limits and this is one of them. How can you not take care of a kid in your own house and just play video games for hours on end.

And 3xch4ng3 is right even if my clan needs me. I say sorry cant do, busy. And she smells like Cat Urine is just SICK. I don't know if they had a cat but if they did they must of taken care of the cat more then the child.

I hope they never get out of jail of this.
 
You know what would be good is if we gamers put together a chaity for these kids.
 
Charity.. no edits lol..


But one that they cant touch tell 21, it would atleast show we people of the net aren't all locked away heartless people.
 
This just makes me sad. Having a kid does chomp the game time way down. But ya know what? I'd rather play with my son than play wow, or put up with asshats on XBL.

How anyone can neglect their children in favor of videogames is just beyond my ability to compute. I mean, when you see your kid starving and then just shrug and go log in to your game of choice? WTF does that mean?

These people aren't even human in my view.
 
Here is a good example of when putting people in jail for XX amount of years just isn't worthwhile. Strap 'em in and let good old voltage do it's thing.
 
Obviously their addiction to the net didn't stop them from making the babies. What an excuse. "The Internet made me do it!"
 
What confuses me is how vehement many of you are in stating that that the Internet or games couldn't possibly be addictive. Why? "Because I game all the time and I'm fine."

I know a lot of people who drink or do drugs or gamble and only some of them are addicts. Most people can handle it, but others have a weaker constitution or will or are otherwise predisposed toward addiction. I myself have been known to skip work or delay housecleaning or personal hygiene (although I don't have any kids), just to play computer games. A personal weakness of mine is that it's a lot easier to stay at home every night and play WoW (or whatever) than socialize or find a better job (or at least take another one to help make ends meet).

I think one of the great things about modern life is that people know things are bad for them, and yet they continue to do them. Whether it is eating greasy, fried, high-fat food, drinking soda, eating sweets, eating too much, not exercising, smoking, drinking, doing drugs, watching too much TV, gambling, being promiscuous, or whatever, it is clear that we live in an addictive society. I have no problem adding Internet use and gaming to the above list.

None of which excuses the behavior of the negligent parents. They know what they did is wrong, or they wouldn't have pled guilty. They are in court, after all, so they have to say SOMETHING in their own defense. Putting them in jail should at least assure that they don't have any more kids, and the judge should also make sure that they receive counseling for their obvious mental illness.
 
These people would have had a better chance at pleading "insanity" rather than blaming video games. :rolleyes:
Not taking care of your kids is insane.:mad:

Taking care of children is in our instincts, our DNA, and our souls. It is taught to us throughout our lives by all of society.
I don't know if it was apathy or a mental disorder, but either way these people have proven they are not contributing members of society, and thus should be locked up.
 
These people would have had a better chance at pleading "insanity" rather than blaming video games. :rolleyes:
Not taking care of your kids is insane.:mad:

Taking care of children is in our instincts, our DNA, and our souls. It is taught to us throughout our lives by all of society.
I don't know if it was apathy or a mental disorder, but either way these people have proven they are not contributing members of society, and thus should be locked up.
Your comment about taking care of children being in our instincts made me think of something. Now, a little disclaimer beforehand-I'm not saying I would like this to happen, I'm just pointing out the natural order of things vs. modern society. With that said-maybe our interfering with matters like these perpetuates the cycle. For instance (and again, not my wish at all) if no one had stepped in and the children had died-then the bloodline for these folks would end once they died-provided they didn't have more children. Basically I'm talking about the whole survival of the fittest concept. Imagine if we helped every animal that didn't take care of it's young-we'd probably have some issues with wildlife population. I think the same goes for humans-I don't want anyone to die, but what does saving everyone cost us in the grand scheme of things? I'll probably get flamed for this...but I think it's something that needs to be at least considered.
 
Basically I'm talking about the whole survival of the fittest concept. Imagine if we helped every animal that didn't take care of it's young-we'd probably have some issues with wildlife population. I think the same goes for humans-I don't want anyone to die, but what does saving everyone cost us in the grand scheme of things? I'll probably get flamed for this...but I think it's something that needs to be at least considered.


No flameage here, but thank you for pointing out the difference between humans and animals. ;) One human being should never allow (what happened to those children) to happen to ANYONE, let alone their own children. And that, is what separates us from animals ;)
 
Your comment about taking care of children being in our instincts made me think of something. Now, a little disclaimer beforehand-I'm not saying I would like this to happen, I'm just pointing out the natural order of things vs. modern society. With that said-maybe our interfering with matters like these perpetuates the cycle. For instance (and again, not my wish at all) if no one had stepped in and the children had died-then the bloodline for these folks would end once they died-provided they didn't have more children. Basically I'm talking about the whole survival of the fittest concept. Imagine if we helped every animal that didn't take care of it's young-we'd probably have some issues with wildlife population. I think the same goes for humans-I don't want anyone to die, but what does saving everyone cost us in the grand scheme of things? I'll probably get flamed for this...but I think it's something that needs to be at least considered.
My comment "in our instincts, DNA, and our souls" was simply a way of me trying to cover all bases.
It doesn't necessarily perpetuate the cycle. Its a lot more complex than that. Animals adopt other abandoned animals all the time. You hear about it all the time with pets.
Humans do this too, through adoption.
Just because there is a genetic descendant of a parent that neglected its children, doesn't necessarily mean that descendant will neglect its children as well. If the causes of this behavior were genetic, it will still be ingrained through societal influences.

In this example, these people still had enough mental capacity to know that what they did was wrong and admitted as such. Thus they should go to prison.
If they were clinically insane, then they should still be locked up, or under close supervision.
They are people who are capable of being contributing members of society, and yet they don't contribute.
 
If the causes of this behavior were genetic, it will still be ingrained through societal influences.
-edit- for clarification.
If the causes of this poor behavior were genetic, the responsibility of taking care of children will still be ingrained through societal influences.
 
My comment "in our instincts, DNA, and our souls" was simply a way of me trying to cover all bases.
It doesn't necessarily perpetuate the cycle. Its a lot more complex than that. Animals adopt other abandoned animals all the time. You hear about it all the time with pets.
Humans do this too, through adoption.
Just because there is a genetic descendant of a parent that neglected its children, doesn't necessarily mean that descendant will neglect its children as well. If the causes of this behavior were genetic, it will still be ingrained through societal influences.

In this example, these people still had enough mental capacity to know that what they did was wrong and admitted as such. Thus they should go to prison.
If they were clinically insane, then they should still be locked up, or under close supervision.
They are people who are capable of being contributing members of society, and yet they don't contribute.
Maybe I should clarify and modify what I meant a bit.

Basically, until we stepped in nature (or whatever you'd like to call it) was doing it's job. These two were obviously unfit parents and were going to fail-in the worst way possible. Had no one intervened the children would have died. The parents were not fit to do the job, so their offspring would not have survived.

My point to all of this, which I didn't express clearly enough before, is that maybe we're meddling in affairs we should leave alone. Life on this planet operates on certain principles, and we're a bit of an anomaly. We don't adhere to the rules. As Steve pointed out it's what separates us, but I wonder if it's such a good thing at times. My worry is that we're going to "save" ourselves into over population and with our current consumption of resources that's not a good way to head. I know it's kind of a harsh view, but it's more of a conscience vs. logistics & nature thing.
 
My worry is that we're going to "save" ourselves into over population and with our current consumption of resources that's not a good way to head. I know it's kind of a harsh view, but it's more of a conscience vs. logistics & nature thing.
You absolutely do not understand this issue. The club of rome back in the 1970s published a report. That report is the basis of this current "sustainability" propaganda. Couples have less children as their education level rises. They are inversely related. These parents in the article are obviously not responsible people. I wish you would think about how the establishment intentionally dumbs down the population compared to the type of lives they would lead if they were properly educated. I agree with other posters that this familial condition is generational and cyclical. The solution is to understand the situation and work scientifically for a solution, not just kill them off. People can't choose their parents you know.
 
You absolutely do not understand this issue. The club of rome back in the 1970s published a report. That report is the basis of this current "sustainability" propaganda. Couples have less children as their education level rises. They are inversely related. These parents in the article are obviously not responsible people. I wish you would think about how the establishment intentionally dumbs down the population compared to the type of lives they would lead if they were properly educated. I agree with other posters that this familial condition is generational and cyclical. The solution is to understand the situation and work scientifically for a solution, not just kill them off. People can't choose their parents you know.
Argh....again, I guess I didn't explain enough. I'm using this situation as an example. It's actually not the greatest example, but it's somewhat related. I fully understand the situation-but I'm not talking specifically about just this situation and only this situation. I'm referring to the general opinion that we must fix and save everyone. Cancer, AIDS, car accidents, plagues, and stupid parenting all happen for a reason. My thinking is it happens to keep a balance-to keep our population in check. Now if we keep going against it, curing everything under the sun, I think two things will happen: A. We'll breed some super plague and it'll kill us all. Sounds crazy, but I think it could be possible. B. We'll have so many damn people we'll run out of resources, be food, water, oil or whatever. I'm thinking big picture, not here and now with these two dopes.
 
I'm referring to the general opinion that we must fix and save everyone. Cancer, AIDS, car accidents, plagues, and stupid parenting all happen for a reason. My thinking is it happens to keep a balance-to keep our population in check. Now if we keep going against it, curing everything under the sun, I think two things will happen: A. We'll breed some super plague and it'll kill us all. Sounds crazy, but I think it could be possible. B. We'll have so many damn people we'll run out of resources, be food, water, oil or whatever. I'm thinking big picture, not here and now with these two dopes.
Yup, that's the plan. We're all useless eaters right? Goyem? You see. ClariorHincHonos you should pick up a copy of Atlas Shrugged. I'm sure it'll be your new favorite.
 
Yup, that's the plan. We're all useless eaters right? Goyem? You see. ClariorHincHonos you should pick up a copy of Atlas Shrugged. I'm sure it'll be your new favorite.
Whatever. If you can't see that we're burning through resources faster than they can be replenished then oh well.
 
ummmm...50 grand on a tv &gaming equipment ...im calling bull on this
must have been one big ass tv ...

let them rot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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