Jimmy Kimmel’s Halloween prank can scar children. Why are we laughing?

Washington Post ^ | October 20, 2017 | Meg van Achterberg

[Leaning Right]

It’s getting to be that time of year again: when jack-o’-lanterns glow and mummies and witches roam the streets. But there is one Halloween tradition that really gives me the chills: Jimmy Kimmel’s annual candy prank.

Every Halloween for the past six years, ABC’s late-night talk show host has encouraged viewers to tell their children, on the morning after the holiday, that they have eaten the kids’ entire candy stash. Parents record their children’s reactions and send the videos to Kimmel, who broadcasts some of the clips on his show.

[Leaning Right]

Playing practical jokes on young children...there does seem to be an element of cruelty there. From the article:

"In my opinion as a longtime child psychiatrist, the children in the clips — most of whom appear to be between 3 and 7 years old — are reacting not so much to the temporary loss of candy but to a sense of betrayal that will linger long after their parents own up to the joke."

There's probably some truth in that statement, even if it is kind of mushy. Anyway, it's good to see the liberal WaPo take a slap at the preachy, holier-than-thou Mr. Kimmel.

[Leaning Right]

Oh, in case anyone thinks this prank of Kimmel’s is harmless fun, take a look at the clip at the linked WaPo site.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Listening to Jimmy Kimmel rant about how awesome Single Payer health care is enough to scare anyone

[fhayek]

This is the kind of thing they worry about? Good grief.

[Pilgrim's Progress]

Why not? These kids are all going to grow up to be brain-dead zombie liberals and need to be taught early how to take away things from people ‘for their own good.’

[Texas Eagle]

Oh. I thought this was going to be about Kimmel asking trick-or-treates to guess what’s in his pants.

[Leaning Right]

> This is the kind of thing they worry about? <

> Any slap at Kimmel is a plus, small of a plus as it may be.

[freedumb2003]

>>Listening to Jimmy Kimmel rant about how awesome Single Payer health care is enough to scare anyone

<<

let him be the Single Payer for everyone else. He can start by paying for the shrink for these traumatized kids.

[Vaquero]

[dfwgator]

Yep, real funny. /s

[Leaning Right]

> Oh. I thought this was going to be about Kimmel asking trick-or-treaters to guess what’s in his pants. <

It’s early, but you might already have the thread-winner right there.

[discostu]

The sooner kids learn not to trust authority figures the better off they’ll be.

[Billthedrill]

Gosh, that’s a real knee-slapper. What a jackass.

[Mears]

The parents that send the videos in are worse than Kimmel-——they played this “trick” on their own child.

.

[TheNext]

Your child should wake up the parent early morning, scream that the house is on fire, put the video on you tube. /s

[fhayek]

I guess. But WaPo is fine with abortion, with Muzzies using children as sex toys... Just not going to spend a great time worrying about this.

[Leaning Right]

> What a jackass. <

You are too kind. This story shows just how sick Kimmel is.

[fr_freak]

The parents that send the videos in are worse than Kimmel-——they played this “trick” on their own child.

Exactly. While I have my reservations about whether this sort of thing really will "scar" the child, the fact that these parents got their jollies on doing this to their kid to the point where they filmed it and sent it off to a TV show makes you wonder what other things they'll do to their kids for "fun" throughout their lives. There is a hint of sadism here.

[Leaning Right]

I hear ya. I had to think hard before linking to WaPo.

[dfwgator]

I remember SNL did a parody of Candid Camera where they told the kids that their parents didn’t love them anymore and they were putting them up for adoption.