Leave him alone.

Okay, I can't take it. I have to comment on something that's been going around the Internet. During the last quarter of the UT-OU game, some asshole cameraman decided to train his lens on some poor, little boy (a Sooners fan) who was crying. The jerk cameraman left the shot on for several seconds. As it was happening, I began yelling, "Oh no! Get off of him! Oh my God - he has to go to school on Monday! Get the camera off of him!" But the damage was done.

All over the Internet, that picture is being passed around. It's even being Photoshopped like it's an ad or something. But it's not an ad. It's a child - a little boy who got caught up in the emotion of a big game and thanks to some insensitive jerk cameraman who should've known better, he's being made fun of by thousands, maybe millions, of other insensitive ADULTS who should also know better. What - when you were a kid you never cried about something that as an adult you wouldn't cry about? Your own kids never cry about things that they wouldn't want the whole world to see? You'd be fine with your own kid's image being traded and made fun of like he's not a real human being - you think HE'D be fine with it?

Or do you think he might just be horrified? Do you think maybe he'd be harassed at school and he'd be so embarrassed he might not even want his picture taken again? Maybe he won't want to go to another televised sporting event for fear of being on camera? Maybe he'll be afraid to express his emotions again for fear of being made fun or having the image passed around like entertainment? An experience like this can scar a child. Ask the Star Wars kid if he feels as free to play and express himself and be creative as he did before his homemade tape became international fodder. Kids should be allowed to be kids - to express themselves and not be made fun of by millions of strangers who don't care what kind of damage they might be doing to the kid's psyche. For Christ's sake, have a heart.

Seriously people. It's one thing for an adult to be embarrassed this way. We don't *enjoy* it, and it's kind of messed up that "public" has become so VERY public - any image that's captured now goes worldwide. But at least we adults are better equipped to handle it. It's wrong to humiliate children like this. It can really be damaging.

Now, a picture of Bob Stoops crying...that'd be okay. If anyone has one of those, feel free to send it to me immediately.