MovieChat Forums > Child of Rage (1992) Discussion > Some of the comments on this board are a...

Some of the comments on this board are appaling to me.

posted 18 years ago by pixelman-1
32 replies | jump to latest

Saying that she was a *beep* brat" who deserved to be thrown away into a white room and saying things like "who cares if she's doing alright because she was a little monster."

What kind of people are these to say such things about a little girl who was obviously sick and needed help? Did she not deserve a chance at a normal life? Was she worthless because she didn't know what love was, because she couldn't give it or recieve it?

The one's who make comments like the ones above obviously didn't understand her situation, they looked at her and saw a little girl simply acting out and being a brat, and yes, she was doing those things, but the underlying causes for Cat's behaviour were out of her control, she did not know that acting that way was inappropriate, she didn't know that doing those things were bad because she never had anyone tell her otherwise.

She was severly hurt by her birth father as a baby, let me say that again, BABY, and she was afraid and angry but didn't know how to express it at such a young age, she was traumatized and needed assistance tapping into her anger by her adopted parents so that she could finally try to work through it and get better, to develope the basic concept of empathy that we all learn from birth, Cat didn't have that. Being exposed to what she was exposed to as an infant resulted in her behaviour as a 7 year-old.

She was still very young when she finally got the help she needed and now, hopefully, she's doing good. If her adopted parents had given up on her, given her and Eric back to the agency, she wouldn't have had a chance, i'm relieved that she came to two people who toleratd her behaviour, struggled to understand it and help her.

So, don't be so heartless, give this little girl a break and try to understand that she deserved a normal life just as you do.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] stingfool 17 years ago

I sort of agree with your comments. But if she killed sombody with her rage is it ok because she is a child?

[–] Cosmic_Cre 17 years ago

You're being obtuse and no, that's not what the OP was saying. This girl is a victim too, but a lot of posters on here are treating her as if she was Junior in "Problem Child". If any blame is to be placed, it should rightfully go to her biological father and the adoption agency for not divulging her background to her new parents like it wasn't a big deal. They had no idea what they were dealing with. She could have gotten help a lot sooner BEFORE she had the chance to hurt her brother, parents or someone else.

Charlie Murphy!! *punch*

- Dave Chappelle as Rick James

[–] pianocellolove 16 years ago

Exactly. Couldn't have said it better. Baby Cat was a victim as much as those she hurt. I cannot imagine the pain and rage she felt as a little 7 year-old after having gone through the awful ordeal(s) she encountered.

PCL

[–] stingfool 16 years ago

You're saying because she was only seven and had pain she can kill people?

Look at this scenario. If a twenty four year old had rage. Maybe from lost of job, being bullied, beaten and harrassed so this person becomes bipolar or has "rage" so you would say how it would not be ok for an adult to kill people out of rage but a child can murder people and it's ok? Sorry but I need to disagree.

[–] anna_goddess71 16 years ago

As someone with Bipolar I would no more kill someone than anyone else. I have not however had the horrific childhood that that girl did. She had no opportunities to learn how to relate to other people in ways that were non-violent. She must have been trying to provoke her adoptive parents into acting because she could not understand why they did not treat her in the only ways she knew. A seven year old does not have the same mental judgement as an adult and therefore is not able to be held at the same standard of judgement for their actions. I have worked with children who have been abused and they often fear kindness more than violence, as the kindness is very frightening and abstract where as fear is for them immediate and known.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] EndorasBox 16 years ago

This girl was severely abused, neglected and raped. We'll see how her "critics" react when the same happens to them.

[–] erinwolfrus 14 years ago

Saying that intense and hideous abuse and the resulting trauma can be cured by 'a good ass whooping' is ABSOLUTELY MORONIC, for several reasons.

Studies have shown that children who are physically punished "increases children’s depression, lowers their self-esteem, and makes them less likely to succeed in life" More often than not, it leads to learned helplessness and the child acts out, not learning why they were punished. In a child without abuse, you would ideally use methods of taking away privileges (NEVER BASIC RIGHTS) to show the child that they have a choice and make them feel like they have the right to choose whether they do something bad and can't do something fun or to avoid the behavior.

However, because the subject of this film was extremely mentally distraught, she would require ALL KINDS OF THERAPY in order to attempt to heal the mental wounds that cause her to function so unhealthily.

In fact, taking physical punishment against a child of this nature would probably lead to even worse behavior. You're just grabbing the sucking chest wound and tearing it open deeper. I really, really hope you don't have kids- and if you do, I hope you don't treat them like that.

BAD WOLF.

[–] lm362 8 years ago

Considering your scenario: No, it would not be ok for this 24 year old to kill anyone either. But the 24 year old could be looked at as someone who is sick and in need of help and help could be made available for him or her. No one has said it is ok to kill anyone.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
I try doing this with my posts

[–] tgomez-1 15 years ago

well one could argue all evil people were victims at some point and that is what caused them to become evil. i am sure the father who molested her was a victim too and that is what caused him to become a sick pervert...so should we defend the father now too?

[–] stingfool 15 years ago

Bipolar was an example. Yes, with Bipolar somebody can commit suicide or kill somebody. That was only an example of many. There are children who are beaten by their father or mother, or their mother is a crack addict and has different men over and the man rapes a kid, ect. Usually the kid does not just go kill people. Really! I guess all the school shooters who are *beep* up are ok because they had rage?

[–] Gina_Riley_Admirer 15 years ago

The point is, children who have been harmed need help asap. Foster children especially, are so vulnerable and seem to slip through the cracks. A damaged adult is very sad too and they were once a child; that's where the problems most likely began. It's a matter of healing (and funding) being made available at an early stage before entire lives are ruined. The movie points out, the younger the child, the more likely chance of a successful recovery.
Everyone matters, regardless of age but adults are often very set in their ways, are less open to change and may have already committed very serious crimes. It is the desire of therapists to nip that in the bud.

[–] stingfool 15 years ago

I agree that the child needs help ASAP. I can't condone even a child trying to murder unless the childs' life is in danger and is scared for her or his life..to just want to kill people who have done nothing but love you is beyond my understanding...regardless of rage.

[–] EndorasBox 15 years ago

well one could argue all evil people were victims at some point and that is what caused them to become evil. i am sure the father who molested her was a victim too and that is what caused him to become a sick pervert...so should we defend the father now too?

He is a grown man. She's a little girl. There's a big difference.

[–] stingfool 15 years ago

I have a off the wall question. Does good and evil really exist? They are man made words. I think we all have good and evil in us. One dominates the other depending on our experiences, and a lot of factors

[–] gemmaread 12 years ago

I don't think anyone is saying it doesn't matter, or that if she killed someone she wouldn't be detained for everyone's safety as well as hers, she most likely would be, but try to image what it's like to not know what love is because all you ever knew was pain and hatred, can you imagine that? I can't.

[–] WileyDairyGnome 15 years ago

You're such a moron. Did she even kill anyone?? Yeah she beat her brother, which is horrible but she was abused. She was only 7, it's not her fault. So are you saying she should be punished for being raped?

She needed HELP. She wasn't some brat who had everything. She was terribly neglected and abused.

You're an ignorant jackass. Not all people with bipolar disorder (myself included) are future murderers. People who are bipolar are more likely to sleep with a whole village then slaughter one.

Don't generalize, idiot.

--I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been

[–] lm362 8 years ago

But some children and even adults do not murder others, even people they love "just because they want to". You are not understanding that a child or adult who has been abused or abandoned, has not been taught good coping skills or had no opportunities to get help do not even feel the love from others that they are given. The wall of anger, rage and hate keeps them from feeling and showing love or even accepting it. If you just take the time to consider how you would feel about not ever or rarely having felt security or love and how that might make you act, then you will understand why people feel compassion and have a desire to help adults and children who either are acting dangerously or have already taken one or more lives.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
I try doing this with my posts

[–] morganseer 8 years ago

Whether you condone it or not, is irrelevant. The child has impulses she cannot control. She needs help. We can either give her the help she needs and gain a decent person for the rest of her life, or not give it and end up with a sociopath who will continue to abuse and perhaps kill. Punishments and hostility don't help and exacerbate the problem. End of story.

[–] erinwolfrus 14 years ago

That was one of the more insightful posts I've read on IMDB, Gina.

BAD WOLF.

[–] lm362 8 years ago

What matters is did the killer have a good opportunity of getting help to stop his/her feelings of wanting to kill? Did they turn such help away? Did they get warnings from people to change their way of acting or feeling and disregard such warnings? Such people, after killing others usually do not respond to any efforts to help them to feel remorse to the point of wanting to get help so that they are determined to never repeat their deadly act.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
I try doing this with my posts

[–] lm362 8 years ago

People who abuse are not always the victims of abuse.

As for your asking if we should defend the father now too, the father had, as far as I know, never admitted to being abused as a child. If he had admitted that, then either he would have to want help or the authorities would have to have good reason to try helping him, perhaps in an effort to see if he can be shown that he does need help.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
I try doing this with my posts

[–] Witchblade06 9 years ago

"But if she killed somebody with her rage is it ok because she is a child?"

Exactly and hell no!

[–] lm362 8 years ago

It is never ok to kill anyone, or even try to, as the real life child this story is based on, admitted trying to do to several people. Trying to kill anyone is almost as bad as actually doing so, but when a child kills and the reason behind it is that something is terribly wrong with the child, every effort should be made to help the child to understand why such a thing is wrong to do and to help him/her to never do so again. Any malicious killing is wrong, but that doesn't mean we can't treat the killer with compassion and try to help them get better.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
I try doing this with my posts

[–] altern95 13 years ago

I recall when this case went down and the word "hoax" was being used. How someone can remember something that happened when they were a baby I'll never know. Keep in mind books and movies were made off of this which should always raise eyebrows. People always buy into topics like this ESPECIALLY in the 80s and 90s.

[–] Samuraibro 8 years ago

Yeah, the word "hoax" was used because people in the 80's knew *beep* about mental illness and the trauma of abuse victims.

The girl was only 6-and-a-half years old, it's not unlikely that she would remember those things happening to her on a daily basis if they were traumatic enough. You're more likely to remember traumatic events than "repress" them. She would also have nightmares about what her biological father did to her. The adoption agency knew about the abuse that she suffered. Do you seriously think they all conspired together just to make a little documentary film?

And books and moves are made out of anything that's different or popular or shocking. It doesn't make them any less true. 

[–] mickeymsb 12 years ago

Thank you. I have suffered a lot of abuse of every kind and am now helping to stop all of it and shut the people up who are making the problem worse. I mean if anyone has studied cases where children were abused and one day snaps and kills the people that picked on them then they should watch how they act. I won't be nice about it. You hurt someone who doesn't have the understanding of a well adjusted adult then it will mess them up and make their thinking wrong. I suffer from brain damage from all the abuse I've been through and my dad had it from vietnam so I know from both sides what it's like. And if you put every "bad person" in prison then you can start paying taxes on it aswell. If that's the best answer you have then you, yourself need to be there. IN THE END THEY ARE *beep* KIDS, GIVE THEM A BREAK.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] I_Luv_Apple 8 years ago

This kid was down right evil.. I would have put her into a white room. How could they let her almost kill their other kid? I felt sorry for the brother. The horror he must have went through. I would have beat the crap out of her.