Coming to Alec Baldwin's defense

So he called his daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig". So what?

I really don't see why everyone is giving Alec Baldwin a lot of flak for what was obviously meant to be a private message to his daughter Ireland, who apparently did not make herself available for a pre-scheduled phone call. It was simply a case of an angry father berating his kid for not fulfilling an obligation. From what I've heard of Baldwin's tirade, it sounds like it wasn't the first time Ireland had left him hanging. The way the media is vilifying' Baldwin is unfair, and even more unfair is how his ex-wife Kim Basinger is milking this for all it's worth. It was a very human mistake, but it's being blown out of proportion.

People are criticizing the harsh way Baldwin spoke to his child (was it really that extreme?), but I can understand how one can let loose a barrage of hurtful words when tempers are flaring. There's also the tendency of being more careless with verbal abuse (or any other kind for that matter) when dealing with those closest to us. I know I'm nastier to my siblings than my friends, and while I know it's wrong, I can't help but take for granted that at the end of the day, they'll forgive me because we're family. And Lord knows how many times I've been given a tongue-lashing by my parents, but when I'm wrong, I deserve it, so I have to stand there and take it.

The other day some hack psychologist being interviewed about Baldwin-gate said the term "pig" could be damaging to Ireland's self-esteem. I had to roll my eyes. I could think of dozens of even more unflattering words in Chinese and Filipino that parents scream at their children all the time. And most of those kids turn out just fine. I'm not condoning verbal abuse; I'm sure it could inflict certain psychological damage if the child is subjected to it frequently. However, occasionally calling him or her "stupid" or "worthless", especially when the kid has it coming, is not exactly criminal.

Although this Baldwin news story is not exactly CNN headlines material, I find it significant because it's representative of American family values. The US is a nation of child coddlers, so it's no wonder they're also a culture that raises spoiled brats who talk back to their parents, move out first chance they get, rarely call or visit their family, then eventually dump their aged parents in nursing homes. American children are conditioned to think that they don't owe their parents anything, so they do as they please, and heaven help whoever gets their way-- even the people who brought them into this world. A raised voice, a lifted hand, a simple punishment, and they're running for the phone to call child services to report their mom or dad as abusive.

Was Ireland really wounded by what her father said? If the phone recording hadn't been leaked to the media, would it be as big a deal, or just another day in the lives of the dissolved Baldwin-Basinger union? Will this sway the judge's decision in their ongoing drawn-out child custody battle? How will this affect Baldwin's revived showbiz career? Should an isolated case of parental fury be held against him forever?

All parents are entitled to their rage, within reasonable limits. Sensationalizing this particular case only reinforces the notion most American kids have that their parents have no right to reprimand them, no matter what they've done. Maybe there was a better way to have scolded his daughter, but come on, Baldwin was ANGRY. Humans get angry. When they're angry, they say things without thinking clearly. Even parents. Even celebrity parents. So cut the guy some slack already. At least he didn't bitchslap the rude, thoughtless little pig.