You really do not joke about this stuff...

[fireheart17]

http://www.news.com.au/technology/on...-1226791413033

So a mother of two puts up an ad on Gumtree (think Craigslist with less stupid) to sell her four-month-old. Apparently it was a joke.

The joke backfired on her BIG time when social services took her kidlets away.

All I can say is ""

[Sarah Valentine]

Wow, what an idiot! What the hell did she think would happen, you NEVER put up a kid for sale even as a joke.

[Andara Bledin]

That's like "joking" with airport security about the "bomb" in your luggage... >_>

[Anthony K. S.]

I have no doubt that a lot of people are going to see this story and express disgust at the way that "these heartless police officers are terrorizing this innocent family over a silly little joke" ...

The thing is ...

If the police accepted the explanation that it was just a joke and took no action, and then later something really did happen to one of the children, like child abuse or neglect, then you can bet that the same people who are criticizing the police now would then be saying, "The police KNEW that there was something wrong with this family, and they did nothing!"

[Pixilated]

Yep. The police are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

As for Mom, I hope she has a nice long uphill battle to get the kids back, and spends at least some of that time thinking about the definition of "stupid".

[Bloodsoul]

So she offers to sell the kid, and Social Services takes it without payment? That's stealing!

[Sarah Valentine]

Bloodsoul that was funny, you get a high five.

[Kelmon]

I have no doubt that a lot of people are going to see this story and express disgust at the way that "these heartless police officers are terrorizing this innocent family over a silly little joke" ...

The thing is ...

If the police accepted the explanation that it was just a joke and took no action, and then later something really did happen to one of the children, like child abuse or neglect, then you can bet that the same people who are criticizing the police now would then be saying, "The police KNEW that there was something wrong with this family, and they did nothing!"

If the police actually bothered to find out whether it was a joke or not, they could simply have posed as buyers for the kid.

I'm really annoyed how every little thing that we would joke about with no repercussions whatsoever pre-internet is suddenly super-serious once it's on the internet. Because no-one jokes on the internet, ever.

[s_stabeler]

Kelmon, there is a very good reason why it is more serious on the internet. context. jokes like this, if they are ever appropriate, need to be in a small group, where everyone involved knows it is a joke. On the internet, such jokes are essentially being said in public. It's what makes the difference, not specifically it being on the internet.

Second, this was on Gumtree, which is more less like craigslist. That means it is more or less equivalent to placing an ad in the classifieds. That is beyond a joke. if the woman had sent an e-mail to a friend, joking she wanted to sell her kid, I would agree it would be more like a joke. This is beyond a joke.

[Kelmon]

Yes, they are *more* serious, for the very reason you state, and i'm not saying the woman shouldn't have been reprimanded and/or fined. Similar to what happens when you call 911 for fun, because the police had to get involved over nothing.

But taking her kids away? Total overreaction.

It's like a kid getting put in prison, solitary confinement, for months and beaten up there for making a joke - clearly marked as such - about shooting up a kindergarten. But oh wait - that happened...


The problem is not people making ill-advised jokes, stupid comments or possibly even threats. They always did those and always will. The problem is law enforcement agencies trying to apply outdated laws about communication to a world in which the way we communicate has drastically changed. Laws meant to protect people from those that stand in front of them, threatening them and telling them "I'm going to kill you" obviously need to be changed to reflect the reality of people sending tweets with a content link "Going to kill the president! j/k #waytoodrunk".

[Andara Bledin]

But taking her kids away? Total overreaction.

So, you know for a fact that it really was a joke and that isn't just a cover for a real attempt to get cash for her kid?

[Gravekeeper]

So, you know for a fact that it really was a joke and that isn't just a cover for a real attempt to get cash for her kid?

Yeah, if you follow through to the original article there's quite a bit more to this. She not only posted the ad, but she revised it once and communicated with people who emailed her to inquire.

The advert appeared on Thursday evening. Initially it read: ‘baby, beautiful for sale deposit through pay pal email only’ and included a £150,000 price tag.

It was later updated to read: ‘baby boy for sale comes with everything included deposit needed as sick of time wasters.’

One shocked user who emailed the mother claimed she replied to say she was selling the child ‘because it cries’.

When asked if the offer was genuine, the mother allegedly confirmed it was because she wouldn’t want to ‘shatter anyone’s dreams’.

Furthermore, she was suffering from post natal depression and was already know to social workers because of it. Protective services didn't just swoop in out of the blue me thinks.

The thing that gets me is the price. If she had picked a jokey number like $5 it might be more convincing. But she picked what comes off as a realistic figure and amended the ad once stressing the need for a deposit. Saying she was sick of people wasting her time. >.>

[Anthony K. S.]

If the police actually bothered to find out whether it was a joke or not, they could simply have posed as buyers for the kid.

If the police had posed as buyers, and the woman told them in the end that it was just a joke ...

That wouldn't necessarily have proven that it was a joke. The police would have to consider the possibility that the woman was serious, but lost her nerve at the last second.

Sometimes, people who are in the process of committing a crime will get cold feet and back out of it.

Even if you knew it was a joke, that could still be a warning sign that something is wrong in this family. Selling your children is not something that a typical parent would publicly joke about.

In any case, I stand by what I said earlier.

If a parent was found to be abusing or neglecting his/her children, and then it was revealed that the parent had once publicly "joked" about selling one of the children and the police knew about it but took no action ...

You can bet that there would have been an uproar about how the police knew that something was wrong with this family but did nothing about it. People would never accept "But it honestly looked like it was just a joke" as an explanation.

Finally, one last thing.

This may not carry any legal weight, but assuming it was a joke, it still showed an appalling insensitivity on the part of the mother.

How did she think her children would react if they ever found out about her joke?

I knew a woman who was going through a really frustrating time with her 11-year-old son, mostly over bad grades and failing schoolwork.

One night, after her son had gone to bed, she vented some of her emotions by saying that she wished she could take him some place the next day and just leave him there.

She didn't mean it at all. She was just upset, and blowing off steam.

What she didn't know was that her son was awake, and he heard what she said.

Let me tell you, that was one mistake she never repeated.

[wolfie]

The problem is not people making ill-advised jokes, stupid comments or possibly even threats. They always did those and always will.

During the Cold War, a prominent Canadian (IIRC, Farley Mowatt) was investigated because he didn't like the idea of routine B52 flights over Canada (i.e. keep some nukes already airborne in case of a surprise attack) and said that if they flew over his backyard he'd go out with his .22 and shoot them down.

Yes, he mentioned the weapon he intended to use - and anyone with a military background should have known right away that he wasn't a serious threat, since a .22 fired straight up won't even reach the cruising altitude of a B52, never mind have enough energy to damage it.

[HYHYBT]

Actually advertising your children for sale is well beyond a joke. It's not even the equivalent of mentioning bombs at airport security. It's more like "joking" that you put a bomb in your checked suitcase which actually contains something which looks like a bomb to the human eye and smells like one to a dog.