The evils of the baby shaker iPhone application. Oh noes!

Whatever. It might be in bad taste to some, but it's not going to encourage anyone to kill babies. That's just stupid. Of all the things in the world to get up in arms about, some people pick the most pointless.

 

He's a FF GSA & FF-UK RSA. That should easily give him the right to push his values on others.

 

actually if you get addicted to the game chances are won't you shake your ipod to an early grave well kill the gyroscope inside.

 

How the hell is he pushing his values on others by posting his opinions on an internet messageboard?

 

He did it here, Guy... this is where he stopped posting his opinion, and got uppity about other people.

 

Babies are gross.

 

Wow, posting his opinions of other peoples' opinions. It's almost as though he's responding.



I'm not saying I agree with him. I just think that saying that he's "pushing his values" on anyone is ridiculous.

 

Well to be fair, the whole topic is ridiculous.

 

My thoughts on this hew pretty closely to halibut's I suppose. Obviously, it's a bit hyperbolic to attribute actual cases of this sort of tragedy to this game. The reality is that this application fits pretty neatly within the brand of "shock humor" that is popular in some quarters. What is unusual, though, is that a major brand like Apple would've embraced the use of such humor for themselves. It's a far more risque association than I've ever known them, or any other company of comparable caliber, to make. I think there is something of a difference between recognizing that potentially distasteful things exist, and actively approving of them. Finally, I think a few (but by no means all) of the posts in this thread have shown a bit of a lack of sympathy for Mr. Donahue. Regardless of how vociferously you disagree with his position, I think one could acknowledge that he might rightly be hurt by a joke whose butt represents a personal tragedy.

 

I'm with Hal on this one. And it's not because I think this will cause people to shake real kids, but because I think people who would get this app are a bit sick in the head.

 

This.

I too have a slightly morbid sense of humour... I teasing yelled at my interventional radiologist the other day about getting "mostly dead guy" on my newer pair of Nike's. Gross, slightly disturbing, and just a bit funny.

There is absolutely nothing funny about a "game" making fun permanently damaged or dead children. Nothing at all. Apple should be ashamed of themselves. Posting the link to the shaken baby website at the end of the app doesn't even remotely make it okay.

Blech.

 

I don't understand why this is so offensive. Is it tasteless? Yeah. Is it funny? No. Is it shameful/disgusting/offensive/so forth? I don't really think so. All it got from me when I first saw it was a raised eyebrow and then I promptly forgot about it. There's plenty of stuff in the world to work yourself into a fit about. I don't think an Apple app is one.

Scummy

 

I don't understand the point of this thread.

 

Has it occurred to anyone that the app may actually be a great release for mothers of young children? That having to respond with superhuman patience, 24 hours a day, to one's child - particularly for mothers with a stack of other commitments/worries/financial troubles/personal tragedy in their life may just take it out of someone to the point where, just for once, being able to harmlessly respond to a crying baby noise in a way that will let out all the tension but at the same time do no harm might just offer some relief to some people?

Psychologists regularly prescribe symbolic violence against things to 'let out' repressed emotions (hitting or smashing some representative object, or throwing things violently away while screaming or whatever)... and what could be more urgent to let out than a buried resentment of a crying child? In the real world, that resentment does exist... it is massively overpowered by love for the child in all but a few cases, but it exists and a means of letting it out could improve the mental health of many and even - perhaps - save the life of a child or two.

omg-no-we-can't-admit-to-these-things-or-use-laughter-to-come-to-terms-with-ugly-stuff-or-anything-we-need-to-be-repressive-and-uptight

Also, if a few people with a niche sense of humour get a giggle out of it, where's the harm? Do such people rail against you for being so dismally ordinary? Or try to prevent you having mundane apps on your phone?

 

When I hear my ringtone on the radio, I do not try to answer the radio.


That being said, I don't think I would want to use this- you really don't know who you might upset with it, and it's kinda a sensitive thing. And by kinda, I mean it really is. I mean, if someone had a child or knew a child that died or got seriously injured by being shaken, it would be pretty awful to whip out your phone and start shaking it in front of them. I know, I know, you can't tiptoe around everyone, but it still is something to take into consideration, just to be nice to other people.

But saying people will shake babies because they shake their phone is sillyerific.

 

Can't wait to hear about this on the 1UP podcast. Maybe it'll be their iPhone game of the week.

 

i guess it WAS A KILLER APP