A video of a Texas judge beating and cursing at his screaming 16-year-old daughter with a belt has gone viral on the Internet and has been at the center of media and online commentary about the difference between child abuse and an acceptable level of discipline.
According to news reports, Judge William Adams was angry at his daughter, then 16 years old, because she supposedly was illegally downloading media files on the family computer. Hillary Adams, now 23, said she set up a camera on her dresser because she knew “something was about to happen.” Hillary Adams held on to the video for seven years and then posted it online. She said her father dared her to post after the two of them had a series of disputes. The video has had more than 2.2 million viewings.
