Like taking candy from a baby

A note to my gentle readers: Please be aware that your humble correspondent, the GGB, uses some very coarse language in the following post. I normally don't throw f-bombs around, and I don't think that ranting and cursing equals insightful commentary or intelligent discourse. However, some days some stories just make me furious and -- perhaps -- too off center to be exactly rational. Nevertheless, I stand by my comments and hope that the reader will understand my frame of mind when I wrote down these words.
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I can't tell you how furious this makes me.

Michelle Malkin: Abusing kids for "art"

In a nutshell, a kook photographer took a series of photos of toddlers in tears to express her feelings about the "helplessness and anger" she feels "about our current political and social situation." She deliberately made the kiddies cry by snatching away lollipops and then photographed their distress.

I have a two-year-old niece who is the light of my life. Few things make me happier than to see her sunny smile or have her climb into my lap for storybook time. And few things distress me more than to see her upset. It's one thing to take away the lollipop because she doesn't need candy; it's quite another to give her a lollipop then take it away to deliberately upset her!!

WHICH IS WHY YOU HAVE TO BE AN UTTER AND COMPLETE ... pardon my French and my shouting ... FUCKED-UP ASSHOLE TO THINK THIS IS ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR, MUCH LESS "ART."

If you can stomach it, go to Malkin's Web site and watch the actual slideshow. I only made it halfway through before I had to shut the damn thing off because I was about to cry. Tears of rage and empathy. Not tears over some self-absorbed lunatic's "helplessness and anger."

Good God help us all.

UPDATE: Although it's been pointed out that the taking-away-the-lollipop trick is a common method used in Hollywood to get a baby or toddler to cry on cue, the photographer in question also made the kiddies strip and had to usher parents out of the room on a few occasions to get the reaction she needed. This is straight from the horse's mouth -- you can listen to the interview on Malkin's blog.

I'm still big-time uncomfortable with provoking a child to tears for any reason, and especially provoking a string of them while they're nude for the purpose of making a political statement.

Lord, I need to avoid these kinds of posts. I'm getting a headache.