Let’s talk about the Samantha Katie James for a minute, and all the hate that she’s been experiencing after she posted some really insensitive comments about the Black Lives Matter movement.
Despite her lack of sensitivity towards the matter at hand, she’s still entitled to her opinions, though she was clearly not entitled to tell others (especially those most effected by police brutality in the United States) how to react to the injustice they face on a daily basis. Which is why she received the backlash that she did.
Getting more than just backlash
She is also believed to have now become the target of cyberbullying as showcased by Malaysian comedian, Harith Iskandar after another local comedian called Samantha ‘a waste of space’.
Harith wrote in response, “Cyberbullying is a form of harassment or bullying using electronic means. It is a serious issue and thousands if not millions of people fall victim to it online every day, and the results of bullying of ANY sort are not pretty.
“So you may have read about the Miss Malaysia Universe 2017 who posted a disturbing message on her Instagram Stories in relation to the Black Lives Matter issue. I’m not here to make judgement on her. In my opinion, what she said was ‘not cool’.
“No, I’m not here to talk about that. What I want to call out is the response to her post from people who should know better – responses like this who refer to her as a ‘f*ck*ng waste of space’. This borders on cyberbullying.”
Harith also defended Samantha, where he pointed out that she is apparently an easy target because she is female and a beauty queen.
“But, let’s face it, she is an easy target. She’s a woman. A girl. A female. And ‘worse’ of all, a beauty queen.”
And the posting that called the former Miss Universe Malaysia 2017 a ‘waste of space’ wasn’t alone. She’s been receiving all kinds of comments ranging from strangers asking if they can attack her to online users asking for her home address which could also mean a threat towards her safety. Some comments that were taken down even threatened the safety of the small children seen on Samantha’s Instagram.
This comment goes, “Stupid. Brainless.”
And the masses are also now defending the cyberbullying, adding to Samantha’s Wikipedia page that the hate speech she is receiving is well deserved.
Some say she deserves the harassment as consequence
They also took to Harith Iskandar’s posting to defend the comments made about Samantha.
Some highlights how comments are getting out of hand
Though, there are a few people who believe that the comments may be getting out of hand.
It is only understandable for outrage to ensue when insensitive comments are made regarding an important issue, but as this netizen says, it’s better to educate than berate.
What do you think about this? Does she or does she not deserve the cyberbullying she’s receiving?
Let us know in the comment section.
Also read: Cyberbullying is A Huge Problem in M’sia As We’re Top 10 in The World For Cyberbullying Reports
