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Original poster

What is wrong with some people?! This made me feel ill - NEWBORN babies dropped 50ft "for luck"

26 replies

Alambil · 01/05/2008 12:40

... in India

uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20080501/twl-devotees-drop-babies-50ft-for-luck-41f21e0.html

was on ITV news this afternoon too - the video was truly distressing

What the hell do these people think they're doing??! Dropping a newborn baby from 50ft up onto a tightened sheet over the ground with spectators sitting round - someone catches the (screaming) child and passes it back into the crowd all in the name of luck ffs.

This surely is not good for the babies? Surely?

I feel sick now...

OP posts:
Original poster
Alambil · 01/05/2008 12:42

oops it was on 5 news - I forgot what channel I was on!

OP posts:
MrsCarrot · 01/05/2008 12:44

I thought it was a goat or a sheep from a tower during certain festivals, never heard of it being a baby.

Bridie3 · 01/05/2008 13:07

It doesn't bear thinking about. That poor child.

JodieG1 · 01/05/2008 13:13

Disgusting, those poor babies.

smartiejake · 01/05/2008 13:29

Apparently they stated that no child has ever been hurt!
More luck than judgement!

JeremyVile · 01/05/2008 13:30

No ones been hurt. What's the problem?

VictorianSqualor · 01/05/2008 13:35

I'd imagine it's not very nce for the baby, as you're not supposed to play rough or spinny type games with them for the first few months as they don't like the feeling of falling, apparently, but it is safe isn't it?

Just something I don't personally understand but maybe it's the done thing in their lives.

Kimi · 01/05/2008 13:46

Madness, Some people just should not be allowed to have children.

LynetteScavo · 01/05/2008 13:52

Words fail me.

bossybritches · 01/05/2008 13:54

Kimi I'm sure they say that about some of the English people they read about over here.

I agree it's a big & certainly not what we would do here but as JV said no babies were/are hurt so why the outrage about a custom that we know nothing about & are pre-judging is evil?

suedonim · 01/05/2008 13:55

I've just seen this on Sky News (sorry, it's the only UK news available to us!) and was horrified. Just imagine if a child tumbled awkwardly and landed a little bit askew - broken necks and backs immediately flash into my mind.

VictorianSqualor · 01/05/2008 13:58

suedonim, I'd imagine if it were to be liekly accidents were to happen they'd have happened by now.

theUrbanNixie · 01/05/2008 13:59

the reason it's not recommended to play spinny games etc with newborns and little babies is because of the risk of Shaken Baby Syndrome. which would be my concern here.

agree it's horrible horrible horrible but lots of things go on in the world that are - as i am in cynical mode i would say there's fuck all we can do about it. no point getting stressed about it.

dittany · 01/05/2008 14:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PinkTulips · 01/05/2008 14:13

ffs, there's pc and then there's too pc

do you ladies who think it's ok because it's a custom also think the lack of women's rights in certain countries is ok because they've always done it like that? how about female circumcision, that's a long standing practice in some societies. or how about, dare i say it, baby ear piercing?

is it really ok to inflict pain and fear on an infant (and don't tell me it doen't cause them the slightest bit of disconfort to hit a sheet from 50ft up, imagine hitting a trampoline from that height) just because it's been done for a long time?

theUrbanNixie · 01/05/2008 14:16

PinkTulips - if you look back on some of my previous posts you'll see that i am very vocal on the subject of female circumcision and ear piercings in babies. i'm not saying it's right, any of it, i just don't see what hand wringing and wailing is going to about it!

sorry

MrsMattie · 01/05/2008 14:16

I watched it yesterday on Tv and my heart was in my mouth.

cheesesarnie · 01/05/2008 14:19

omg!!!!!!!!!

PinkTulips · 01/05/2008 14:34

but is this very british attitude of 'oh well, nothing we can do, best to turn a blind eye' any better than 'hand wringing and wailing'?

suedonim · 01/05/2008 14:38

Would we have heard about any mishaps, VS? I'm not so sure.

PosieParker · 01/05/2008 14:39

Awful, just awful.

theUrbanNixie · 01/05/2008 15:19

PinkTulips - in fact i do take action on things like this. i work with several agencies (such as this one) to advocate on behalf of people who want to stop this - as well as supporting victims of things like female genital mutilation.

i think working with agencies to help prevent this is far more effective than the usual hand wringing and whingeing that goes on with things like this.

PinkTulips · 01/05/2008 15:32

fair enough, you have your own way of going about things.

personally i feel there has to be a public outcry about things like this or nothing ever changes.

JeremyVile · 01/05/2008 15:44

Look, i'd chop off someones hands before they did that to my baby but there are enough unspeakably horrific acts commited against babies and children which happen solely to inflict pain/fear and to derive pleasure from doing so.
I find what is happening in this ritual to be pretty nutty but it is NOT done in order to harm, these parents presumably feel it is a positive tradition which stems from wishing good things for that childs life.

I am not condoning it, but I certainly can't get worked up about it either.

Greyriverside · 01/05/2008 16:09

Got to respect peoples customs. Especially the "do what you like to kids because they're replacable and not big enough to resist" ones.

Anyway, it's a muslim thing so it must be ok. Allah wouldn't let them hurt children would he.

Does anyone know if they do it here? I can't imagine that they would stop so I'm imagining babies being thrown from tower blocks to pass the time.