Connect with us

International

Anti-Bullying Video Goes Viral and Starts Conversation Online

Published

3 years ago

on

  • A mother posted a video of her nine-year-old son Quaden Bayles, who was born with achondroplasia dwarfism, crying after being bullied in school and expressing suicidal thoughts. 
  • Many stars, like Hugh Jackman, rallied behind the child and expressed support for him. Comedian Brad Williams set up a GoFundMe to help both him and anti-bullying charities.
  • While many supported Quaden, others took to debunked conspiracy theories online about his age. Some believed Quaden’s mother was exploiting him for online attention.
  • In addition to the many anti-bullying messages being spread online, the story also started a conversation about whether or not it is okay to for parents to share videos of their kids on social media, especially ones that show kids in such a vulnerable state.

Video Goes Viral

After a mother took a now-viral video of her son after he was bullied at school, conversations about bullying and child privacy lit up social media sites. 

Yarraka Bayles posted the video of her nine-year-old son Quaden to Facebook, where it gained online traction before being picked up by news.com.au, an Australian news site. Quaden was born with achondroplasia dwarfism and regularly gets bullied at school and in other public spaces. 

The video, which may be hard to watch for viewers sensitive to content about bullying and suicide, shows Quaden in the car crying, expressing suicidal thoughts. His mom suggests that he actually has attempted suicide and urges parents to educate their children about the harmful consequences bullying has on children like her son.

Support for Quaden

Many celebrities spoke out in support of Quaden. Academy Award-nominated actor Hugh Jackman shared a video on Twitter telling him “you got a friend in me.”

“So everyone, let’s please be kind to each other, bullying is not okay,” the Wolverine star added. 

Country-pop singer Kacey Musgraves and Walking Dead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan also shared sympathy and words of encouragement on Twitter.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Brad Williams, a comedian who has the same form of dwarfism as Quaden, started a GoFundMe for the Bayles family. 

“I’m setting up this GoFundMe to let Quaden know that bullying will not be tolerated, and that he is a wonderful human being who deserves joy,” he wrote. “I want to fly Quaden and his mother to America, get them a nice hotel, and bring them to Disneyland.”

“This isn’t just for Quaden, this is for anyone who has been bullied in their lives and told they weren’t good enough,” Williams added. “Let’s show Quaden and others, that there is good in the world and they are worthy of it.”

As of Monday morning, the GoFundMe had well exceeded the $10,000 goal and raised close to $470,000 from over 20,000 donors. Williams says that the excess money will go to anti-bullying charities. 

Conspiracy Theories 

Along with sympathy for Quaden came Internet users spreading conspiracy theories. Some alleged that he was not nine-years-old, but was actually an 18-year-old actor. They claimed the video was part of a scam.

Others also shared videos where it appears Quaden is showing off money and other expensive looking things. They implied that he came from money and was not being bullied. 

The theory that he is an actor scamming people for money is not true, as several reports have confirmed that he is nine-years-old. He has appeared on news segments with his mother promoting awareness for dwarfism in the past. 

Those who claim to know the family maintain that they are honest. 

Rapper Cardi B posted an Instagram Live video defending Quaden.

“I really don’t think that he’s lying on his age,” she said. “And just because there’s videos of him flossing money and acting all gangsta and acting all cool and everything, it doesn’t mean that kids do not pick on him. Come on now.” 

Is it Okay to Share Vulnerable Videos of Your Kids Online?

Still, some questioned Yarraka’s intentions in posting the video, thinking that she could have been exploiting her son’s condition and situation. She has actually since deleted the video from her Facebook page and removed her Instagram account, as well as Quaden’s, from the site.

Rogue Rocket spoke to author and motivational speaker Brandon Farbstein, who said he could specifically relate to Quaden’s pain, having dwarfism himself. He thinks that even though Yarraka may have had good intentions, the video was still counter-productive.

“She wants to do absolutely everything and anything she can to not only make this better but, she says, to try and raise awareness for the situation,” he said. “I personally don’t believe this is the way to do it. I believe that it is kind of digital exploitation of his, like I mentioned, darkest moment.”

Journalist and historian David Perry wrote an editorial for CNN saying that this video highlights huge problems we face in the digital age when it comes to the privacy of children online. Perry believed that Yarraka did this out of love, but should have refrained from sharing this vulnerable moment online.

“However loving the intention behind posting this video was (and I can well understand this mother’s desperation), the fact is that for the rest of the boy’s life his name will likely always be associated with it,” Perry wrote. “What’s more, the viral video is likely to encourage other parents to try to emulate it, continuing to break down the privacy rights of children.”

“Remember that your kids are going to grow up. They will Google their names,” Perry added. “You want them to be happy with what they find. So please stop sharing photos and videos of your child’s worst moments on the internet.”

Farbstein echoed that this video will now follow Quaden from places like school, to his first date, to his first job. He thinks that instead of a video like this, people who want to help kids in Quaden’s situation should turn to the people and places around them. 

“Start with your own community, whether you’re in school, you are part of a company, a religious institution, whatever it is, see what they’re doing to prevent bullying,” Farbstein said. “Using what you’ve been given to do what you can is the most that all of us can do.”

See what others are saying: (NBC News) (People Magazine) (Insider)

Related Topics:

International

95-Year-Old Woman Dies After Police Tases Her in Nursing Home

Published

2 weeks ago

on

May 24, 2023

By

The officer involved was suspended with pay and charged with assault.

A 95-year-old Australian woman whom police tasered in a nursing home last week has reportedly died from her injuries.

Clare Nowland, who had dementia and required a walking frame to stand up and move, was living at the Yallambee Lodge in Cooma in southeastern Australia.

At about 4:15 a.m. on May 17, police and paramedics responded to a report of a woman standing outside her room with a steak knife.

They encountered Nowland, then reportedly tried to negotiate with her for several minutes, but she didn’t drop the knife.

The five-foot-two, 95-pound woman walked toward the two officers “at a slow pace,” police said at a news conference, so one of them tasered her.

She fell to the floor and reportedly suffered a fractured skull and a severe brain bleed, causing her to be hospitalized in critical condition.

Nowland passed away in a hospital surrounded by her family, the New South Wales police confirmed in a statement today.

After a week-long investigation, the police force also said that the senior constable involved would appear in court next week to face charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault.

NSW police procedure states that tasers should not be used against elderly or disabled people absent exceptional circumstances.

Following the incident, community members, activists, and disability rights advocates expressed bewilderment and anger at what they called an unnecessary use of force, and some are now questioning why law enforcement took so long to prosecute the officer involved.

See what others are saying: (Reuters) (The New York Times) (CNN)

Continue Reading

International

U.K. Police Face Backlash After Arresting Anti-Monarchy Protesters

Published

4 weeks ago

on

May 8, 2023

By

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that some of the arrests “raise questions” and “investigations are ongoing.”

The Public Order Act

A controversial protest crackdown law in the U.K. is facing criticism after dozens of anti-monarchy protesters were arrested during the coronation ceremony in London over the weekend.

The law, dubbed the “Public Order Act” was passed roughly a week ahead of the coronation for King Charles III. It gives police more power to restrict protesters and limits the tactics protesters can use in public spaces. It was condemned by human rights groups upon its passing, and is facing a new round of heat after 52 people were arrested over coronation protests on Saturday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said protesters were arrested for public order offenses, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. The group said it gave advance warning that its “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low and that we would deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining the celebration.”

It is currently unclear how many of those arrested were detained specifically for violating the Public Order Act, however, some of those arrested believe the new law was used against them.

“Make no mistake. There is no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK,” Graham Smith, the CEO of anti-monarchy group Republic tweeted after getting arrested. “I have been told many times the monarch is there to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name.”

An Attempt to “Diminish” Protests

During a BBC Radio interview, Smith also said he believes the dozens of arrests were premeditated. 

“There was nothing that we did do that could possibly justify even being detained and arrested and held,” Smith claimed. 

“The whole thing was a deliberate attempt to disrupt and diminish our protest.”

Yasmine Ahmed, the U.K. Director of Human Rights Watch, also tweeted that the arrests were “disgraceful.”

“These are scenes you’d expect to see in Russia not the UK,” she wrote. 

When asked about the controversy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters officers should  do “what they think is best” in an apparent show of support for the Metropolitan Police. 

For his part, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is looking into the matter.

“Some of the arrests made by police as part of the Coronation event raise questions and whilst investigations are ongoing, I’ve sought urgent clarity from Met leaders on the action taken,” Khan tweeted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (CNN) (The Washington Post)

Continue Reading

International

Foreign Nationals Make Mad Dash out of Sudan as Conflict Rages

Published

1 month ago

on

April 24, 2023

By

The conflict’s death toll has surpassed 420, with nearly 4,000 people wounded.

As the 10-day-long power struggle between rival generals tore Sudan apart, foreign governments with citizens in the country scrambled to evacuate them over the weekend.

On Sunday, U.S. special forces landed in the capital Khartoum and carried out nearly 100 American diplomats along with their families and some foreign nationals on helicopters.

An estimated 16,000 Americans, however, remain in the country and U.S. officials said in a statement that a broader evacuation mission would be too dangerous.

Christopher Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity warfare, said in a statement that the Pentagon may assist U.S. citizens find safe routes out of Sudan.

“[The Defense Department] is at present considering actions that may include use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to be able to observe routes and detect threats,” he said.

Germany and France also reportedly pulled around 700 people out of the country.

More countries followed with similar efforts, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Indonesia.

Yesterday, a convoy carrying some 700 United Nations, NGO, and embassy staff drove to Port Sudan, a popular extraction point now that the airport in Khartoum has closed due to fighting.

Reports of gunmen prowling the capital streets and robbing people trying to escape, as well as looters breaking into abandoned homes and shops, have persuaded most residents to stay indoors.

Heavy gunfire, airstrikes, and artillery shelling have terrorized the city despite several proposed ceasefires.

Over the weekend, the reported death toll topped 420, with nearly 4,000 people injured, though both numbers are likely to be undercounted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)

Continue Reading