Bullied twice

A boy’s message is being lost in social media vitriol

The bullying has only gotten worse for 11-year-old Keaton Jones after he made a video about being bullied. The Tennessee boy’s message is being lost: “Peoplewho are different shouldn’t be made fun of because they are different”and “Bullying is not OK.”

Keaton, who attends Horace Maynard Middle School near Knoxville, asked his mother to film a video for him after she picked him up from school. He directed his message at bullies. A group of five students had targeted him for abuse, dumping milk on him and putting ham down his pants. “Why do you find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them? It’s not OK,” he said, breaking into sobs.

His frustration and terror are emotions that, unfortunately, far too many children experience daily. He then shifted his message to those young people who are bullied, telling them to stay strong because it will get better one day.

When his mother, Kimberly, posted the video, Keaton became an overnight sensation. A-list celebrities and athletes wrote messages of support or offered to fly him to movie premieres or sporting events. A GoFundMe account raised close to $60,000 for Keaton and his family.

But then, people began digging into the family’s social media accounts and uncovered photos of Keaton and other family members posing with the Confederate flag — more than two years ago — and quickly jumped to the conclusion that the family is racist and that Keaton brought the abuse upon himself by using a racial slur.

There is no evidence that Keaton, his mom or his sisters are racist. In fact, friends jumped to their defense. But Keaton was convicted by social media mobs. His mother was accused of staging the stunt for money — even though the originator of the GoFundMe account posted a comment online saying that he did not know the family and that it was his idea alone.

Keaton has not returned to school and has now received death threats. The bullied youth has been handed another round of emotional abuse. Social media can be savage. What should not be lost in the bile is the angst and message of a young boy.