The XX Factor: What women really think.

If The Dental Surgery Doesn't Hurt You, The YouTube Post Won't, Either

I think the "David After the Dentist" video passes the "appropriate to post" test. This isn't likely to haunt him forever; given how fast kids grow, it won't be long before even his biggest fans wouldn't recognize him on the street. (And since the clip is from last summer, he probably already has enough new front teeth to disguise him.) He's old enough that his dad probably asked and got his permission before posting, and young enough that it's not likely his peers are out there on CollegeHumor.com discovering this clip and laughing behind his back. And the material is harmless enough that I think when David revisits it in a few years, he'll crack up as much as the 3-million-plus who've already watched it on YouTube.

I can see your point, Hanna, that the dad comes off as kind of cruel, the way he's sitting up there laughing and filming while his child suffers. But I feel like it's how the kid—not the blogosphere—interprets what the parent is doing that matters, and David doesn't seem to mind his dad's low-key attitude. In fact, it might be putting him at ease. Of course, this is coming from someone who thinks it's hilarious that my parents used to coo to my sister and me, when we were too young to understand anything beyond tone of voice, "You're such a stupid baby! Awww, look how ugly you are!" Sure if someone were watching (online or otherwise), that would seem awful. But since all we took from it was the affectionate cadence, I think it's genius.