Florida Man Charged With Suffocating Son So He Could Keep Playing Xbox

[Basement Cat]

http://time.com/68100/florida-man-charged-with-suffocating-son-so-he-could-keep-playing-xbox/

Well, I guess this will just fuel the anti-video game crowd. You know that they'll interpret this as evidence that not only do video games--particularly FPS's--make people more violent but make them inclined towards baby killing.

*rolls eyes*

I've heard about some stupid, violent, and neglectful parents in over the years but whenever the media latch onto a "reason" for parents abusing their children they run it into the ground.

Thoughts?

EDIT: Yes, this is a sad tragedy. I am saddened for the death of the baby. Any baby, pretty much. And, yes, the guy is an idiot.

 

[tippy2k2]

This is why I'm always so conflicted when it comes to allowing people to have kids.

On one hand, you shouldn't have the power to limit someone's most basic freedoms like that...

On the other hand, some people just shouldn't be allowed to breed...

 

[Queen Michael]

This is just horrible. I usually don't care a bit about suffering people in the news -- too bad for them, but I didn't know them. But this... Geez. What a shithead.

 

[Timotei]

Florida Man is turning out to be one of the absolute worst supervillains in history.

On topic, it's apparent to me, and many who probably heard the news about him having a child that this man should have never had children in the first place. A parent who isn't willing to give up any and all of their time to be a parent doesn't deserve to be one because children require your full, uninterrupted attention up to a certain age.

This is why I'm of the mind that a system of parent licensing needs to be enacted, with stiff punishments of those who don't get them. People need licenses for everything nowadays. License to drive, fly, build on their property, open a business, buy guns (lolnoNRA) and work within certain fields. These licenses prove a person understands exactly what to do, but more importantly exactly what they're getting into. Having this system for bringing another life into thie world ensures you'll have less fuckups and more responsible parenting from people who might otherwise not be ready or may not understand what "parenting" may entail in their lives. Raising a child is a million times more difficult than something else like operating a motor vehicle.

Plus it'd drive down birth rates for sure, which would be a plus. This planet already has too many fucking people.

 

[Bbleds]

Very unfortunate event, and sadly I have a good sense that many similar and worse situations happen almost daily that aren't covered in the media. As far as your thoughts on "fuel for the fire" for the arguments against video games, there is a good chance it will be used. Though, I don't think it will matter in the long run of course. People have their opinions and agendas, and people can spin any story to suit their stance.

Here are my words of caution, for what it's worth. I think we should be careful to make pre-emptive defensive strikes. If people suddenly start "shouting" about how this horrible act was not due to unfounded bad effects of video games, it potentially can draw someone's to view it that way who wasn't thinking about it before. For instance, the article didn't seem to make any attempt to mention video games being a possible factor.

And please understand I'm not saying you did this with your post, it's a good discussion to have. Just based on previous examples of web based comments spinning out of control based only on speculation, we know that can potentially destroy most chances for a rational discussion.

 

[Scarim Coral]

He should of put more thought into raising a child better since now he got no time to play an Xbox now!

 

[Colour Scientist]

I don't understand how a couple can have one child in state social services but still have the other child under their care. Surely, if they've been identified as unfit parents and had one young child taken out of their custody, the other shouldn't just get left behind.

It doesn't say why their 3 month old is in state care though.

 

[jademunky]

Thoughts?

Item #496 on my "Things to weep for humanity about at 2am" list

 

[dyre]

Hmm, what was he playing? I'd be pissed off too if some stupid baby was crying while I was trying to tie a prostitute to a some train tracks in Red Dead Redemption...

I mean, uh, yeah, don't kill babies. It's a bad long term solution as being put in prison decreases the amount of time you get to spend playing Xbox...

Err, what I meant to say is, killing babies is bad, period! Absolutely outrageous!

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

And now he won't be able to play his Xbox for a good 20 or so years. Unless they supply prisoners with Xboxs in prison? Not sure if they do or not. If so, then disregard, I guess.

I wonder what it is that he was playing. To have him so engrossed so as to not tolerate any disturbance!!!!

 

[Kotaro]

Why is it that whenever some sick fool does something awful, it's always the connection to video games (no matter how tenuous) that garners the most attention? I have a feeling that this guy probably would still have done the same thing even if he was just watching TV or reading a book.
Whenever a person becomes the worst of humanity, it always seems to be attributed to whatever they're interested in, and it's never allowed to be because they're just fucked-up in the head.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

No normal person would chose a game over their kid. Fact he did shows he is a selfish psycho. Hopefully someone in prison will deal with him.

 

[Frezzato]

I don't understand how a couple can have one child in state social services but still have the other child under their care. Surely, if they've been identified as unfit parents and had one young child taken out of their custody, the other shouldn't just get left behind.

It doesn't say why their 3 month old is in state care though.

She was taken into custody after the arrest.

This article [http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2014/4/17/homosassa_man_arrest.html] had better breaking-news details as it covers the area in which Wygant lives, which looks nice enough but getting to that area is an extremely creepy drive. My advice to anyone visiting Florida is to avoid the west coast area north of Tampa. It's a long, dark stretch of highway through barely populated swampland.

For anyone interested, here are some of Wygant's previous arrest mugshots [http://www.shastamugshots.com/search/?q=wygant&s=Search] in California, along with the associated charges. It seems strange how the Los Angeles Times knew some of the exact games [http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-florida-murder-video-game-20140418,0,1234804.story#axzz2zM6Cch8a] Wygant owned. And then they go on to incorrectly describe them as "role-playing". It's too bad news outlets are fixating on the video games aspect of this tragedy, because it's detracting from what this situation is: a tragedy. Anyone that kills a baby deserves to get flung into the sun.

 

[Grimh]

If you're actually so emotionally fucked that you're not able to care for and love your spawn then either don't have them or give them to someone who are actually capable of feeling empathy for a defenseless and precious being you fucking lunatics.
I write knowing I'm just flinging words into the void having no effect whatsoever on what these sociopaths are doing.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Hmm, what was he playing? I'd be pissed off too if some stupid baby was crying while I was trying to tie a prostitute to a some train tracks in Red Dead Redemption...

To be fair you do get an achievement for doing that.

 

[Nowhere Man]

Yeah but it's Florida. It's common knowledge now that most of the crazy shit that happens in the states happens in Florida.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

As a parent of a 3 month old who has gotten his game-playing time drastically reduced...what in the fuck, man? This had nothing to do with video games, if I was hearing her cry during something way cooler than a video game, like opening a briefcase full of money because the president decided that I was awesome or whatever, I would at the very least turn my head in concern and make sure my wife was attending to her. There has to be something severely defective in your brain to willingly cause harm to a child, and video games are so unimportant in the grand scheme of things that they shouldn't even be a mentioned factor of this situation. I wish I knew why the media has a crippling fear of saying "dude was incredibly mentally disturbed or may have been off his psych meds", it's always got to be rap music or video games or tentacle porn or whatever new thing it is.

 

[SilverLion]

You know what disgusts me?
People in this forum so far are more concerned about how the public will use this to further villify video games instead of weeping for the dead baby.
What the hell, Escapist forum users?
You're acting like the NRA members who bought up as many guns as they could after the Sandy Hook shooting because they were afraid that the government would crack down on guns.
Shame on you, this isn't about video games, it's about people! I'm disgusted to be a gamer right now.
GET. YOUR. PRIORITES STRAIGHT!!!

 

[Vareoth]

I dislike crying children as much as the next guy, but strangling your own crying son because he annoys you might be a bit much. I wonder why their first child wasn't in protective custody while their second child was.

I'm disgusted to be a gamer right now.

Whilst I agree that proper priorities need to be set, making such a statement might be a bit too melodramatic.