We’ve become so bored that we tend to overreact to trivial things, sometimes destroying other people in the process.
The case of the girl in the DLSU jacket who got so muchbashing on the Internet, is simply an incident bordering on the stupid. She should get a slap on the wrist, like one does for doing stupid things, but she doesn’t deserve the hate of the cybermass. It’s not even something that someone should get kicked out of school for.
A joke
When I was growing up, social media wasn’t like this. I could do stupid things—fill my media feed with all the curses and idiocy I wanted. Sometimes I’d get in hot water, learn from my mistake and move on—end of story.
Today, things go overboard when stupid things happen, even when done by a minor. We’ve become a generation of bullies; we’ve forgotten what it’s like to grow up and commit mistakes, and we like to find fault in others and pretend to be saints.
What has happened: A girl wearing a DLSU jacket poses for a photo with Ateneo basketball celeb Kiefer Ravena, with her middle finger sticking out, pointing at him. She was wearing a rival school’s jacket. It’s possible she’s a fan of De La Salle, the rival school, showing her disdain for the other (not in the most graceful way)—a gesture she perhaps intended to show off to friends as a joke.
People say it shames De la Salle. One comment went— “She doesn’t even go here.”
We’re guilty, too
We wear the colors of the team we root for; and we show in numerous ways our dislike for the rival team. Even if we have no official ties to the team, we are just as fervent as those who do.
For instance, during NBA season, there’s so much happening online—from memes to all sorts of comments and posts—as if we actually live in the US, supporting a particular state.
So why are we torturing a little girl over something we’ve also done countless times?
This girl is in high school. Like her, we were also once trying to be cool, and today it’s her turn to try to be cool.
We have learned from our mistakes, but we hardly allow others to do so. We destroy other people through social media. We blow things out of proportion.
This girl has been cyber-bullied and practically pushed in a corner because she was wearing the wrong attire while showing dislike for a public figure, an athlete.
I’m sure she’s gotten flak from her high school; there’s even an account that she could get expelled from school, just because of that photo.
If that happens, that’s a punishment which, I believe, is totally disproportionate to the wrong committed. It’s all being considered, though, because of how fast we want to act holier-than-thou and ruin other people through social media.
Way to go, guys! We’re picking on a little girl, it’s like we never left high school and want to join her there again.