In light of the recent shooting in San Bernardino, the one that left elementary school teacher Karen Smith and one of her 8-year-old students dead, the #WhyIStayed has become ever so important. Smith married her eventual killer, Cedric Anderson, in January but left him after the relationship became untenable. The hashtag also played a critical role in a failed DiGiorno’s Twitter ad. The line between women courageously sharing their stories of survival and those who wish to make fun of it, is all too commonly crossed.
Here are a few tweets, ones that show the serious nature of such a hashtag and then the opposite.
#WhyIStayed because he made me feel like I didn't deserve to be happy.
— Pozole (@curly_fry7) March 14, 2017
#whyistayed because I was scared to start over again after spending 8 years with someone.
— DivorcingANarcissist (@DivANarcBlog) March 9, 2017
#WhyIStayed Cuz his dicc game 💯
— Randon (@RandonTbh) April 10, 2017
Social media allows for the sharing of ideals and goals but also gives a voice to those who do not understand the seriousness of such issues.
#WhyIStayed told myself it wasn't abuse because it wasn't physical. I made excuses for all the red flags because I was desperate to be loved
— Karólína (@LadyLasholina) March 10, 2017
#WhyIStayed because he was good at making me think everything was my fault.
— Breana Tompulis (@flautista_22) March 9, 2017
Click on the hashtag at any time and you will still see people making fun of DiGiorno’s, prolonging an ill fated attempt to make money. The failed DiGiorno’s tweet has been turned into a comedy routine by some users.
@DiGiornoPizza the #WhyIStayed tweet was gold. I applaud you.
— Jason Bowman (@RogueMormon) February 14, 2017
Some fail to see the importance of such an outlet, while some simply think of people as less than human.
***Warning: Inappropriate Language***
***Here is the link to a disturbing tweet***
The hashtag is symbol of strength and unity but has lead to those without a clear understanding of such a message to poke fun at a serious issue. Hopefully social media remains a place for those to empower each other instead of becoming something worse.