Disclaimer: This piece reflects the writer’s opinion. It does not reflect the opinions or beliefs of WORLD OF BUZZ.
Last week, the internet was ablaze with the story surrounding Malaysian musician and influencer, Cathryn Li.
If you’ve seen the comments section, you’d know what I’m talking about. It’s disgusting.
It’s sickening to see toxic people who come out of hiding, and felt it was their place to cyberbully her by masking it behind the word ‘criticism’.
“You’re a famous influencer. If you can’t take the heat, then don’t put yourself on the internet.”
A lot of people left this comment and yet they forgot that behind the other side of the screen is another human being – regardless how famous that individual is.
Not to mention how f**king hypocritical these people are.
Often you’ll see the same people getting triggered after another individual tries to shut them down for their negativity – even though they themselves said that influencers shouldn’t even be upset over negative comments.
Here’s an example:
Can you imagine how it feels if there were thousands directed at you then?
What makes these people’s feelings more important than that of famous influencers’? Does being famous make them immune to pain? To hate? That you have to ‘suck it up’ and ‘deal with it’?
Why is Sulli’s death mourned, and Cathryn’s attempt a mockery?
When K-Pop celebrity, Sulli committed suicide after being tormented from the constant cyberbullying, the haters vanished without a word and hid themselves away from the spotlight – no apology, no nothing.
For others, they condemned the cyberbullies for not being considerate in the first place, for constantly criticising Sulli on whatever she’s doing and ultimately driving her to take her own life.
So… What’s the difference between Cathryn Li and Sulli here? Why is it okay to insult and mock a young lady who had a meltdown on a Live session instead of really understanding the trauma she’s been through? Worse, wishing her dead after her attempted suicide and labelling it as a PR stunt. Is it only taken seriously when someone’s attempt at suicide succeeds? Isn’t that messed up?
Do note that people who self-harm for “attention” said that they did so because they “did not know how else to get help” and wanted to see if people “cared”, according to a study by Chandler (2018).
She has been bombarded with tens of thousands of negative remarks over the few days and people think that a woman in her early 30s taking her life over this is a stretch!
Her past controversy being a defence to continue talking shit about her
It’s as if these people never made a mistake in their lives.
We’re only human and we’ve made stupid decisions before. Now, imagine being in her shoes, where a stupid mistake is amplified 100 fold and you never get to live it down because netizens will always bring it back up and use it as an excuse to talk smack about you.
We learn from our past, and improve ourselves to be better.
Do note that her controversy happened back in September 2019, 1.5 years ago and is a separate issue altogether with this new one.
Could she have dealt with things better? Yes. Should people judge her for how she handled it? No.
After she stormed off set in the Live session, she apologised for her behaviour as she should’ve handled her emotions better.
Yes, she wouldn’t have had drama arise if she didn’t throw a tantrum, nor if she posted her attempted suicide on social media.
But does the act seem like a cry for more publicity, or was it really a cry for help?
Kudos to many of those who took things more logically
When she was called out for not being able to play the keyboard despite her claims of having a certificate in classical piano, pianists and keyboardists alike shared how the 2 were vastly different – and that it’s hard to actually want someone to play it on the spot without any preparation.
Some even shared real criticisms by telling her what she didn’t do well, and how she can improve from then on.
Several more Malaysians took to understanding her position in this controversy and wished nothing but the best for her.
Of course, this one guy concluded all the toxic comments perfectly in this post:
MALAYSIANS, WE CAN DO BETTER. STOP THIS TOXICITY ONCE AND FOR ALL
It doesn’t help that in 2018, a study revealed that Malaysia ranks TOP 6 in the world for cyberbullying, and is horrifically second among Asian countries – just behind India.
Why are we normalising negative remarks instead of positive ones?
I’m sure no one in the world wants comments that were being directed at Cathryn to be directed at themselves. So, why do it in the first place?
Ultimately, it all falls down to the simplest principle: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Remember, there is a difference between criticism and cyberbullying. And if you don’t know the difference, then you shouldn’t be saying anything at all.
Also read: M’sian Influencer Storms Off During Live Talk Show After Being Cyberbullied In Comments
