'David After Dentist': Seven year-old David DeVore's fuzzy musings have drawn millions of web viewers.
(YouTube user "booba1234")Photos (1 of 1)
‘David After Dentist’ is viral video gold, but at what price?
By Andrew Heining | 02.09.09
Could that stack of camcorder videos contain the next YouTube hit waiting to happen?
A few recent clips have raised the question – and eyebrows.
Take “David After Dentist.” The video of a 7 year-old reacting to the effects of a dental procedure has been viewed just under 6.5 million times since it was posted a little over a week ago.
Then there’s “Charlie Bit My Finger,” which has stacked up more than 80 million views in a year and a half.
And commercial versions are gaining in popularity too – who can forget the E*Trade baby’s Super Bowl spots? And what about the laughing baby that AIG turned into a commercial before it started feeding kids grown-up sounding lines to read?
Speaking of grown-up sounding lines, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s FunnyOrDie.com caused controversy last year with “The Landlord,” a sketch that featured too-cute 2 year-old Pearl McKay spouting expletives, demanding rent money, and berating Ferrell. Some wondered if posting the child’s acted-out antics didn’t amount to exploitation. McKay insists he wasn’t exploiting his daughter and claims she was at a stage of repeating anything said to her without retaining it.
The Wall Street Journal caught up with the man behind the “Dentist” video and addressed these concerns:
<< Kindle 2: ‘better than a book’? | MainDavid’s father, also named David DeVore, says his son was safe the entire time and finds the video very funny. Mr. DeVore says he filmed his son to help ease his fear of doctor’s appointments. “I was trying to teach him that the anticipation is probably much worse than the actual event,” Mr. DeVore said. “This might not have been the right case to give an example.”
Comments
2. Joanne R | 02.09.09
David after the dentist is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I can relate (having grown up in the 60s). I don’t see any harm in the video.
3. Jon | 02.09.09
Seriously you people are looking for something to be ticked about. Get a life and worry about raising your own kids. If everyone did that we would have far fewer screwed up teens around the world!
4. Kathy | 02.10.09
Yeah seriously. A child acting goofy after anesthetic at the dentists office is hardly controversial. I cant even believe you people.
5. awbilinski | 02.10.09
Ok. We have the common sense response: “Aw shucks, why are you making a mountain out of a molehill!” Yes, I suppose that is a valid point. But would someone please tell me, seriously, why this child’s drugged antics should be posted for the world to see? It is bad enough that corporate america will use all means fair, foul and tasteless, to grab our attention and money, including the use of children to hawk everything from cars to insurance. Why would someone offer up their own child for the sake of some media attention? Is there no sense of privacy, let alone of appropriate behavior or are we just “let’s let it all hang out and to hell with the prudes”? C’mon. What if it was you drunk or stoned off your a** and showing just how stupid you are capable of being. Do you really want to share that with the rest of us? If so, please count me out.
6. Beth | 02.10.09
Since no one else has left a comment agreeing that “David After Dentist” is controversial, I thought I’d throw in my two cents: As a educator, I watched the video with some trepidation. If I had been in the car with the child, (while I certainly may have also stifled laughter) I would have been very quick to reassure them that they were okay. Certainly his father did this. Where the controversy lies, for me, is the implicit context of drug culture - that it feels good to be high, that it’s funny to watch people who are high and experiencing a significantly different reality. At the same time, I don’t really have a judgment about whether the parents should have posted the video - my judgment is about a culture that views being high so positively, and it is easy to see why this video panders to that. Contrary to what, above, says, I think that it is discussions like these, and critical review of our culture, which will in fact lead to us having “far fewer screwed up teens around the world.”
7. awbilinski | 02.10.09
Beth, Your remarks about the video encouraging a critical review of our culture and far fewer screwed up kids is well taken. I hope there is some benefit along those lines. Frankly, I kind of doubt it. Years ago when Hustler magazine was getting hammered as being too raunchy, the publisher Larry Flynt, responded by publishing some really gruesome shots of wounded American soldiers in Viet Nam and challenging his critics by saying in effect, “you call Hustler porn, let me show you some real porn”. Didn’t stop pornography, which incidentally the internet excels at I am told, and did not serve to put a brake on the newest version of Viet Nam going on in Irag. But, it is good to be hopeful of better days to come.
8. Marty | 02.10.09
Busy Bodies!!!! This is fun video and wish I had something like this of my childhood or adulthood after a tooth removal. You Tube is unique in that individuals can share anything they want, from their personal lives, on video. Why does this mean everyone has to have an opinion? It is just like TV or Radio, there are personal choices out there. I want others to stop moralizing for me and if you don’t like content of something… Change the Channel, turn it off, watch something else. Don’t tell me what is good or bad for me.
9. john - Australia | 02.10.09
I find it bemusing that anyone could find anything dodgy about this clip. It’s simply a quite cool kid being funny and goofy….. and very very on the mark, because he says & does about 5 things you would expect from your average “out-of-it” adult, but he’s a cute little innocent kid, in a frankly innocent situation. “Is this real life?” “Why is this happening to me?” “Is this gonna be forever?” … Wowsers should berate the dental fraternity, but the vast majority of us out here think this kid is on a goood trip.
10. michele | 02.10.09
Wow. Some people will whine about anything. You people need to pull the sticks out of your butts.
11. Clint | 02.11.09
What I find dodgy about it is that it is now being remixed and reposted on the web…and people are making money off David. Many remixes are riff with ad overlays and links to websites that do nothing but try to sell you fake viagra or porn. David has become a marketing vehicle and is being used to sell stuff.
12. Tony | 02.11.09
An uproar over this? Seriously, he didnt booze is kid up or get him high.
Yet no one raises an eyebrow at the flood of ‘guy gets it in the balls’ videos? Har har?
What a bunch of uptight cretins, too bad unemplyment is so high, otherwise alot of posters would be doing something constructive at WORK…..
Shatner said it best ‘People, get a life!’
13. Dan | 02.12.09
Hey, it’s Youtube. Remixing, moneymaking, whatever. Quit whining.
I posted something similar of my son who was sedated prior to getting
stitches because it was funny. Youtube is not broadcast journalism.
Turn it off if you are offended.
14. kris | 02.12.09
I can’t believe everyone that thinks this is o.k. I am so disturbed by this. I would never do this to one of my children. It is very disturbing that David would be asking his son if he feels good. Don’t you feel GOOD? That is really sick. I don’t know what type of medicine this Dentist gave him. I have brought my children to the dentist several times without drugging them up. I think the kids in America have enough problems with drugs. Here we have a father asking a little boy if he feels good when he is all doped up. If this was my child I would kick my husband right in the #$%&. I can only hope that the mother has looked at this and can’t beleive what an IDOT she married. I do have a sense of humor but not at the expense of a child. This is a serious issue. What type of father would think of doing this? Why not put down the camera and hold your son? Why not hug him when he is asking if this is real life? Why not console him? You are all mentally ill if you think this is funny. It isn’t about lightening up. It is about a responsiblity of a parent to protect your children.
15. Primax | 02.12.09
I agree the phrase “Don’t you feel GOOD?” was not necessary. I think this was the only irresponsible part of the video. I love the video and it makes me smile. 8 years ago my daughter had a similiar experience from a Dentist visit. I certainly would not put it on you tube, but I wish we video taped it.
As far as the last comment “I don’t know what type of medicine this Dentist gave him. I have brought my children to the dentist several times without drugging them up” Good for you! You also out of touch with reality. The torturous thing to do would have performed dental work on David without the medical drug. Dentist only do this to children if they realize a child is not going react well without a drug. My daughter’s teeth would have never been pulled if she had to do it without going through a similiar experience. A child hears “pull teeth” and what do you think they imagine? I myself as a child and adult refuse all novicane products. I was not afraid of getting teeth pulled for some odd reason and pain never bothered me. My point, everyone is different.
16. heh | 02.13.09
it is borderline exploitative. i wouldnt like that if my folks did that. no matter how much of a cute lil guy he is.. it is still typical ‘american’ parents exploiting their kids to showcase them and live their own failed dreams thru their kids.
17. Arielle | 02.13.09
When people say he is “exploiting” his child, they are presupposing that he posted it on youtube specifically to enjoy fame. The thing about viral videos like this is that they are completely random, and no one can ever predict which ones will catch on and which ones won’t. Many people post videos to youtube simply to have a way to show videos to family and friends — I do this all the time; it’s an easy place to upload digital video to share with others, and I have no hopes or expectations of fame. Perhaps the father was doing just that, and incidentally, one random person saw it, and shared it with a friend, and so on down the line to viral video celebrity. That doesn’t mean he is “exploiting” his child.
18. lucifer | 02.13.09
you people are ridiculous. what happened, happened ok? leave it be. theres enough drama in the world right now and if something completely harmless can bring a smile to over 6 million peoples faces then leave it be. and being a parent myself i see no harm in sharing this funny occassion with the world. it has nothing to do with safety, the dentist wouldnt have jeopardized the childs life, nor did the child ask if he was going to die. GET A GRIP PEOPLE!
19. Jennifer | 02.13.09
What I find much more disturbing than a two minute video on YouTube is the weekly exploitation of the Gosselin children on “Jon and Kate Plus Eight”. When parents are making money from selling the dignity and privacy of their children on a weekly basis, I feel THAT is a time when concerned viewers need to stand up and say something. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion about the YouTube video, I would think that the selling of years of childhood to the highest bidder is far more egregious. I wish respected journalists at the Monitor and other publications would investigate THIS instead.
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1. Jon Hart | 02.09.09
Leave ‘em alone!
Jesus!