This story on the “Meanest mom on the planet” selling her son’s car was in the news for a while, albeit one of those news stories they put at the end of a TV broadcast where they need a “soft” human interest story. It made the front page of Yahoo! as well – here was this mom in Iowa, selling her son’s automobile because he broke the rules about not having booze in the car. I guess it touched a lot of nerves about parenting in general, and what kids see as “totally mean.”
But just when everyone thought their 15 minutes were over, Angry Asian Man posted a photo of them on Good Morning America. And surprise, the kid is Asian!
Three thoughts, for better or for worse, jumped into my head:
- “Oh, the kid is ASIAN? In THAT case, his parents could have been MUCH more meaner.” It’s almost like a fucked up “meanness” currency, where twenty white mothers is the equivalent to an Asian dad. And I kinda feel embarrassed to say that, because it almost feels like I’m gloating about how strict my parents were to me, like it’s a badge of honor or something.
- Wait, the Mom is doing the talk show circuit? And the son is tagging along as well? I’m fairly sure Steven Hambleton wins the award for “Most Humiliated Asian American Male Under 30.” (You’re free to go now, William Hung.)
- What’s a kid like that doing drinking? Hell, what’s a kid like that doing, driving the car? Dude, you look twelve years old.
So, fellow Asian folk: How mean is the “Meanest Mom in the World?”
