A Knoxville, Tenn., middle-schooler’s heartbreaking video about his struggle with bullying is going viral on social media and prompting a wave of support.
In the video, posted on Facebook by his mother, a sobbing Keaton Jones reveals that he’s afraid to go to lunch because bullies pour milk on him, put ham down his clothes and call him ugly.
“Just out of curiosity — why do they bully? What’s the point of it?” Keaton asks at the beginning of the video.
“Why do you find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them? It’s not OK.”
His mother then asks him what the bullies say to him.
“They make fun of my nose, they call me ugly, they say I have no friends,” he says, tears streaming down his face.
WATCH: Justin Bieber, Hailee Steinfeld, other celebrities reach out to Tennessee boy after bullying video goes viral
Keaton’s mother Kimberly Jones said the video was her son’s idea.
“We all know how it feels to want to belong, but only a select few know how it really feels not to belong anywhere,” she wrote on Facebook.
LISTEN: Founder and Executive Director of the Alberta Bullying Research and Recovery Centre Linda Crockett.
The video prompted a torrent of praise and encouragement for Keaton, with the sports world leading the way.
University of Tennessee football star Tyler Byrd tweeted that he and some of his teammates plan to visit the school next week and eat lunch with Keaton.
Delanie Walker, tight end for the NFL‘s Tennessee Titans, posted a video inviting Keaton to attend the Titans’ New Year’s Eve clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
WATCH: Tennessee Titans’ Delanie Walker invites boy in viral bullying video to December game
Several other athletes expressed their support, including NFL players Damon Harrison and DeAndre Washington, as well as NBA stars LeBron James and Dwight Howard.
UFC president Dana White expressed interest in bringing Keaton to the mixed martial arts promotion’s headquarters in Las Vegas.
COMMENTARY: Time to turn the tables on bullying
Activist and TV personality Monica Lewinsky had words of encouragement for Keaton…
… while child actress Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things fame agreed with Keaton that there’s no justification for bullying.
Keaton’s sister replied, saying Brown’s tweet made his night because he’s a huge fan of Stranger Things.
Athletes and celebrities aside, Twitter was swamped with messages of praise from regular people praising Keaton for having the courage to share his story.
In addition to social media support, the video also prompted the creation of a GoFundMe page to raise money for his college education.
READ MORE: Should parents be punished for their kids’ bad behaviour?
But on Monday, the outpouring of support gave way to some skepticism and criticism after speculation swirled about Keaton’s mother Kimberly Jones’ political beliefs and motivations.
According to TMZ, Jones’ Facebook page reportedly featured photos of her displaying the Confederate flag. Filmmaker-activist Tariq Nasheed tweeted a screenshot of the photos, which were then shared widely on Twitter.
Global News cannot verify whether the posts were authentic, as Jones’ Facebook page has since been made private.
Jones was also slammed by mixed martial arts fighter Joe Schilling. In an Instagram video, Schilling said he reached out to her to arrange to bring Keaton to Los Angeles for a Bellator MMA event, but she only seemed interest in promoting the GoFundMe page.
On Monday, the person who set up the GoFundMe campaign said he was putting a pause on accepting donations, which passed $57,000.
In an update, Joseph Lam wrote that “this is not about the mom,” and urged people to avoid passing judgement on her without knowing her.
He added that he was in touch with GoFundMe to look into how to direct the donations into a private school or college fund.
Comments