Minneapolis radio station KDWB’s host Dave Ryan asked if people would trade a baby for a PS3. He didn’t expect that he would have any takers. He was mistaken.
The station received many calls offering to trade a baby for the PS3 system.
The station started with just the offer: trade a baby (for a while) for a PS3. Then, after they received such a high response, they started an “auction” to get the youngest baby for the longest time… The parents were told that they could not check up on the welfare of the child and they were also told that the station did not have a child safety seat for the car.
These parents were still willing to trade their child. The “winner” was a one month old baby for three days (no children or PS3’s were traded).
Fox News played a recording of one mother this morning. She said she had a one month old baby named Alex that she would trade for a PS3. The host asked if the baby’s father agreed. She said he was right there with her. The host asked how old she was. She said she was 22. The host said that Alex was probably her first baby then. She said the baby was her third.
Trading your child to strangers for a period of time for a video game system. What is this world coming to?
cross posted at Musing Minds
December 1st, 2006 at 12:20 pm
[...] cross posted at The Anchoress (where I am guest posting for the weekend - Thank you Anchoress!) posted by kimsch Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
December 1st, 2006 at 3:49 pm
[...] Seven children in a culture that hates married sex almost as much as it hates kids [...]
December 1st, 2006 at 5:13 pm
ohhhh my…
is this what Hillary means by ‘it takes a village’?
so sad…
can the child, at some later date, sue for the playstation, citing lack of compensation in the exchange, or emotional loss?
December 1st, 2006 at 5:43 pm
If I were with Children and Family Services I would certainly be trying to check into the families that were willing to trade their babies. The mother I quoted above said that they’d give the PS3 to Alex. Of course, by the time Alex would be ready to play with it we’d probably be on HoloSuite PS99…
December 1st, 2006 at 8:02 pm
this boggles the mind. there is NOTHING in this world that would entice me to give up any of my four children. we had a hard time getting them and have sacrificed alot to see that they are cared for properly, we have three in college now and tution is quite a bite. but they are worth more than Gold and I would die before I allowed any harm to come to them even now as adults. If they want to get rid of their kids I’ll take them, lock, stock and barrel.
December 2nd, 2006 at 8:57 am
[...] From The Anchoress: [...]
December 2nd, 2006 at 9:33 am
I won’t go into what it took to have my ONE child, but these people are beyond contempt.
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:07 pm
[...] Yes, well, you’d just lose out to these stellar parents, who offered their one month-old baby for three days in exchange for a hunk of electronics they’ll be able to score on eBay in six months for less than what it would cost them in cheap beer and crystal meth. Fox News played a recording of one mother this morning. She said she had a one month old baby named Alex that she would trade for a PS3. The host asked if the baby’s father agreed. She said he was right there with her. The host asked how old she was. She said she was 22. The host said that Alex was probably her first baby then. She said the baby was her third. [...]
December 2nd, 2006 at 10:56 pm
I can’t believe this is what our world is coming to!
December 3rd, 2006 at 12:50 am
How about a 26 year old unemployed child?
December 4th, 2006 at 9:52 am
I asked my daughter, Sophie, if I could trade her in for a PS3. She’s six; she said no, but I could trade in her older brother.
You know the radio did it for a joke; the sad thing was the overwhelming response.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:56 am
sophiesmom,
You and I know the radio station did it as a joke. You are certainly right that the sad thing was the overwhelming response. I’ll add that it’s also sad that the respondees didn’t seem aware that it was a joke. They were treating it as real.
December 4th, 2006 at 10:22 am
Kimsch, I agree! Parents figured they could get rid of the baby for a long weekend and get a goodie for free; how very sad!
What does it say about what this culture truly thinks of children? I won’t open a wider debate, but we seem find children a burden instead of a blessing.
December 4th, 2006 at 10:52 am
sophiesmom, either that or an accessory… Look at Britney…
December 4th, 2006 at 11:50 am
Kimsch, good point! UGH!