Alec Baldwin

[Shanmac]

I know when I was a teenager I antagonized my parents a lot, sometimes to the point of my mom slapping me in frustration (once, lightly). But they never called me the kind of hateful, nasty, deeply wounding names Baldwin is throwing around on that message. I think I prefer the slapping.

I remember in high school, I had a friend whose dad used to talk to her like that, and she once told him, "Why don't you just slap me and get it over with?" Of course, she got another rant about what a terrible thing that was to say to him, and how could she even imply that he'd hit her? Jackass.

I love Alec Baldwin, but ... holy shit. I remember my mom going off on me for being a brat a few times (she once called me a bitch, which I will never, ever forget), and, yeah, I was being a bratty, inconsiderate kid ... but I was a kid! And so is she! He needs to get some serious help for his anger issues. It is not OK to talk to your child like that. Of course, the fact that the voicemail was leaked makes me think both parents are jackasses. Poor Ireland. It's going to follow her around forever. Her parents need to put aside how much they hate each other think about what's best for her for a change.

[MrsCatHead]

Wow, his thread really took off, didn't it? All it takes is a crazy-ass, daughter-berating, violence-filled voice message to put a man back on top, huh?

Seriously, I'm on Team Ireland too. Poor kid with such psycho parents

[Deleted]

I shudder to think of Alec's reaction in a couple of years when Ireland may want to spend more time with a boyfriend than with dear old dad.

Can you imagine the names he will be calling her then?

[Deleted]

I really hope we just witnessed the end of his career. Mommy Baldwin must be so proud of all her sons.

[dwanollah]

agreeance

Oh no you di'in't, Limey!

I know when I was a teenager I antagonized my parents a lot, sometimes to the point of my mom slapping me in frustration (once, lightly). But they never called me the kind of hateful, nasty, deeply wounding names Baldwin is throwing around on that message. I think I prefer the slapping. Words like that would echo in my mind forever.

No fucking kidding. Some day, both Kim and Alec are going to wonder why their daughter hates them or doesn't want anything to do with them when they LOVE her SO MUCH. Luckily, in Alec's case, all Ireland should have to do is send him a transcript of this phone message.

But y'all're right about another thing... this is so much more problematic and deeper than one phone message. Few things piss me off more than when parents -- Adults! Caretakers! -- use their kid(s) as a pawn in break-ups. Poor, poor Ireland.

[GirlyGhoul]

UGH! You know what Alec, YOU'RE the pig! Whatever the legal outcome or ramifications of this tape and how it was leaked, the damage to his daughter's psyche is done! Congradulations f*ckwit! You got all your angry and venom off your chest, hope it made you happy! Your daughter got to sit with the knowledge that her father thinks she's a "Pig" and worry about what exactly was going to happen when he got there to "straighten her out".

I don't want to get into my upbringing here, but it's true. Living with a verbally abusive parent who takes all their rage and frustration with life's ups and downs out on their child, f*cks that child's psyche up but good. You're so busy worrying about what YOU did or what's wrong with YOU that you inspire such parental rage that before you can ever figure out that maybe the problem was THEIRS all along, your sense of self-worth is in their toliet and it can take YEARS (if one is lucky) to get it back.

UGH! This poor child. I don't know why she didn't answer her dad's phone call. Maybe she over slept. Maybe she got confused about the time zones. Or maybe, just maybe she felt so powerless in this struggle between her parents which has spanned half her life time she decided she'd try to take a little power for herself and stage a little civil disobedience by not answering the call. Her payback for her "childish" act? A heaping pile of guilt, anxiety and belittlement on top of everything else she's dealing with in her young life. Nice going, dad!

I don't know all the facts in this case, and God bless the child, it sounds like her mother is no prize parent either, so I wouldn't say Baldwin deserves to lose custody.

I will say he DOES deserve a swift kick right in the Schweaty Balls! Anger Management, asswipe! Look into it!

Team Ireland!

(I wanted to say "Free Ireland"...... but it made me feel like Bono)

[LurkerNan]

What I don't understand is the assumption that Kim is just as bad a parent as he is. I guess that puts me on Team Kim, because there are documented accounts of his physical and verbal abuse, but there aren't any complaints against her for any of that ( that I have heard of).

And a lot of assumption is being made that she leaked the tape, even though Ireland is old enough to have played that message to anyone, a teacher, a friend - anyone who could have shared it with the world in disgust.

Has Kim tried to keep Ireland grounded, even while Ireland is visiting with Alec? Loving messages would indicate so - but he chose to call them undermining, when I would think of them as bolstering. And complaining that Kim is bribing the kid with a candy bar takes on a new ugliniess when he calls his pre-teen daughter a "pig"... In the face of what we know about him, that's enough for me to think he's totally at fault here.

[plush]

His character in Running with Scissors couldn't have been closer to reality. I imagine Kim to be just as crazy as Annette Bennig's character as well and poor Ireland caught in the middle.

On a personal level, I too was slapped few times while growing up by both parents but that's because I was a spoiled brat who had to do exactly the contrary of what I was told. No scars or emotional issues here because of that, and I don't ever remember being told that I was worthless or any heavy verbal abuse of that sort, which would have been much worse than slapping. I need to go hug my parents when I go home tonight.

[lizzyp]

I think it's a testament to how completely awesome Alec Baldwin is that even this doesn't greatly diminish my love for him. (And please, no flames for that.)

It was a horrible thing to listen to... but this Alec and Kim thing is so much larger than just one voicemail. Kim was arraigned in October for contempt of court because she continually violated their custody arrangement. Her attorney's motion to drop those charges was denied in court on Wednesday. I don't think it's a coincidence that this tape was released a day later. They're both screwed up.

I agree w/ eveschmeve. Alec most definitely could have used a different choice of words, but we don't know what has driven him to this point. I remember being a difficult child, and my dad telling me, "I love you, but I don't like you right now." I may have been even called a name. When emotions run high, it isn't uncommon. I would have to know more about the context of this call and the custody case. I do think that it was in very poor taste to leak this message out to the media. It doesn't accomplish much for any of the parties, and Ireland will be known as that "pig."

[Deleted]

OK, have to weigh in here: I just hear that tape replayes on CNN(poor Ireland!); the mention was made that Baldwin "called right back and apologized to his daughter" as if that made any difference at all. It doesn't--it wouldn't if she had been a 30 year old employee being screamed at by an angry boss--and it sure as hell doesn't when its an 11 year old daughter.

I grew up with this kind of abuse, and they ALWAYS apologize--and believe me, you'd damn well better make nice & accept it or it's all YOUR fault--at age 6, 11, 15...doesn't matter. This guy didn't just explode in anger because of any onetime immediiate circumstance. If that had been the case, it's not cool or acceptable either--but it happens, we lose our cool.

THIS, though, was a man purely getting off on his own anger--ratcheting it up all by himself on his little girl's %$$!ing voicemail! He goes on and on and on...even repeats the same sentence twice...it isn't rational. It's out of control. It's terribly abusive. I would never feel safe & secure around a guy like this. Was it "wrong" to leak the tape? Only legally, imho.
If I were her mom, based on this tape alone I'd be scared to death of my kid being alone with him. His very wording of his response to this this morning gave me shivers. I think anger management for this creep is a lost cause.