Bullying - Bringing out the Best in People?

As I mentioned in my last few posts, there's quite a lot of bullying on t'Internet isn't there? For reasons we have yet to figure out, people seem to think that if they're not physically next to someone, they can say or do whatever the heck they like.

Sometimes though, it brings out the best in people. Other people, that is. People who could really just walk away, ignore the troll or sink to that same vile level, choose to be the better person.

Last week, we had the truly spiteful (and probably very damaged) Katie Hopkins, trying to lambast the very talented Kelly Clarkson for her post pregnancy weight. Thing is though, it only served to show us what a lovely, confident and yes, generous person Clarkson is.

Another unbelievable example of fat-shaming and bullying happened when two utter A-holes took photos of a heavy set gentleman having fun and dancing in a pub. Apparently they were laughing so hard at him, he stopped. Just look at the shame and sadness on his face in the second photo. Breaks my heart. The post said "Spotted this specimen trying to dance the other week. He stopped when he saw us laughing." Way to go there folks. Your parents much be so proud.

But this is where it all gets good. Rightful outrage led to a Twiiter hashtag #FindDancingMan and...well, here's the story.  He's being flown to LA for a huge dance party, with famous DJs and musicians now offering to help. Brava to the young lady who started the campaign to let him dance.

And then of course, there's Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban as punishment for her outspoken views on the regime and for her call for education for young women. Her assassination attempt caused international outrage and more than 2 million signatures on the Right to Education Campaign. This in turn, led to the ratification of Pakistan's first right to education bill. Malala is now a global advocate for the right of young women to be educated and she is c-founder of The Malala Fund. In 2014 she was co-recipeint of the Nobel Peace Prize and has gained international admiration for her work.

So I guess what I'm saying is that, bullying may be all around us, but it's usually met with an even greater force!

As Cassandra Fairbanks (who found Dancing Man) said - "I hope people realize how easy it is to do something good. I didn't even leave my couch and look at what happened."

Hatey Katie (Hopkins) - Who Else Shares the Blame?

Much as I detest Katie Hopkins' public persona (I don't know her personally so can't comment) I am also furious at a few other entities. Yes, she spews bile on a weekly basis, usually in the name of free speech or "a bit of fun", but why do so many TV shows hand her a microphone?

For those blissfully unaware of this monstrous woman, Katie Hopkins is a so-called journalist for The Sun newspaper in the UK - which pretty much says it all anyway. She also goes on TV to criticize fat people, lower class people, people who don't call their kids names she approves of, and anyone else who isn't a mirror image of herself. Her latest salvo was aimed at Kelly Clarkson when she began Tweeting about Clarkson's weight. I won't repeat the Tweets here, let's just say they were pathetic and intended to hurt. Oh and by the way, she says there's "no such thing as fat-shaming, only skinny-blaming". Yes, she's lovely. (For her part, Clarkson had no idea who Hopkins was - ha ha ha - and wasn't bothered by the remarks, saying she wasn't seeking "acceptance" from her. I am crushing on Kelly.)

Anyway, back to my question about why people give her so much air time. Rhetorical question really as we know it's all about the ratings, but these shows are also promoting hate by having the vile woman on in the first place. She's correct when she says she has a right to free speech (although there are some limitations in the UK), and so far has managed not to get herself booted off Twitter, where she spouts most of her nonsense.

The TV shows that allow her to give vent to her ridiculous views though, are just as guilty as Hopkins for spreading hate and intolerance. It's one thing to have a right to say hurtful things, but quite another for producers to encourage it through live TV appearances. That would be like me inviting her to guest blog about her insanity rather than criticizing her.  (Not that she would accept, 'cause I'm from the north of England and didn't called my daughter India.)

There's enough intolerance in the world at the moment. We don't need to promote it through ratings-hungry media so I'm pointing the finger at ITV's "This Morning", one of her biggest megaphones. Also Huffington Post who give her a voice, and Access Hollywood in the USA, who recently pretty much did a segment special on her. Y'all may be trying to demonstrate the hate within her, but narcissists like Katie Hopkins really don't care. They're in front of a camera, people are giving them direct access to an audience. You cannot shame them. 

So please - do the world a favor and leave her to wither on the vine.