Video shows dad shooting teen's laptop

It's classic parent-teenager strife, revamped for the Internet age: A 15-year-old takes to Facebook to curse her parents and complain about chores and the pressures of youth.

Her disgusted father videotapes and posts a lengthy rebuttal punctuated by nine gunshots as he empties his pistol into her laptop.

The tech-xecution has garnered more than 27 million views on YouTube and tens of thousands more on Facebook, touching a nerve with others tired of their kids' attitudes but also drawing backlash from parents who have kept such desires in check, people who believe the father is the one being childish.

"It represents a fantasy scenario for parents," said Anthony Rotolo, a Syracuse University professor who specializes in social media. "Most parents would not respond in this manner . . . but many parents have certainly felt unappreciated and imagined taking similar action."

The furor began when Tommy Jordan of Albemarle, N.C., aired his feelings in the video he posted last week.

Sitting in an Adirondack chair on an expansive stretch of grass, Jordan launches into his diatribe, quoting from his daughter's Facebook post, in which she told her parents, "I'm not your damn slave," "I'm tired of picking up after you," and "You know how hard it is to keep up with the chores and schoolwork? It's freaking crazy."

Jordan is clearly infuriated by his daughter's suggestion that she be paid for her chores and disturbed by her decision to go public with her criticism.

"You don't have to worry about buying a new laptop battery. You don't have to worry about buying a new power cord. You don't have to worry about buying a new camera. Because you won't be using any of them till probably college," he says in the video. "I don't know how to say how disappointed I am in you and how disrespectful you were to every single adult in your life. But, kid, you've got it easy, way easy. It's about to get harder."

Rising from his chair and picking up the video camera, he settles the image on the laptop, set on a patch of dirt among the grass. He shows his .45-caliber gun for the camera, then fires nine rounds into the computer.

"I hope it was all worth this," he says to her.

Sonia Carballo, 37, of Bethlehem, Pa., found herself laughing aloud when she saw the video. Her three children -- ages 9, 13 and 16 -- air similar complaints that their mother is too strict, that she doesn't understand, or that they have too many chores.

"He's a parent after my own heart," said Carballo, an insurance claims processor. "I thought he handled it better than I would have. She was completely out of line and disrespectful."

Carleton Kendrick, 65, a Mills, Mass., psychotherapist and father of two, said he found it troubling the video was resonating with so many people and called Jordan's actions "frightening and humiliating."

"What's next from this guy, filming himself burning all his daughter's clothes in a pile on his lawn because she dressed in a manner he considered too provocative?" Kendrick asked.