Down's Syndrome Girl Meme is...offended by herself

[Pedro Sánchez]

Most of the people outraged at this meme will be the same chimpanzees who bounce up and down laughing hysterically at people who can't sing/are possibly trolling on the x-factor (or any number of those kind of shows). What's the difference? Everyone's laughing at someone else's humiliation.

Except she wasn't publicly asking for a response on her singing/dancing/entertainment talent or lack of, people on those shows are.

[Lichee]

Most of the people outraged at this meme will be the same chimpanzees who bounce up and down laughing hysterically at people who can't sing/are possibly trolling on the x-factor (or any number of those kind of shows). What's the difference? Everyone's laughing at someone else's humiliation.

Except she wasn't publicly asking for a response on her singing/dancing/entertainment talent or lack of, people on those shows are.

They're certainly not being asked to be laughed at or mocked. What's the difference between ITV dragging these people onto a giant stage in front of millions of people and some neckbeard dragging a photo of a girl with downs syndrome onto the internet with a few words on it? I think the former is far more humiliating and there have definitely been people on those shows with learning difficulties, yes they chose to go on there and this girl didn't choose to become a meme, but the impact it has on their lives is probably far greater for those on tv

[Pedro Sánchez]

They are not fucking dragged on stage, they choose to go on it, the panels or audiences on them shows would not be first to tell them they are shit at singing or whatever, most of the time the people on them shows are deluded and they sign consent forms for image and performance rights. That poor girl is being harassed for nothing she can control, simply because she was born with a disability and some fuckwit decided that would be his entertainment.

[cosmic_surgeon]

They are not fucking dragged on stage, they choose to go on it, the panels or audiences on them shows would not be first to tell them they are shit at singing or whatever, most of the time the people on them shows are deluded and they sign consent forms for image and performance rights. That poor girl is being harassed for nothing she can control, simply because she was born with a disability and some fuckwit decided that would be his entertainment.

I don't think anyone in this thread finds her being harassed funny. Making memes is one thing, targetting her personally is another.

[Dead Rats]

To be fair, it's not exactly a joke directed at her personally (or wasn't, originally). It was made regarding a down's kid in general. It could of been any one of them, and any one of them could of been offended.

[Basstronomer]

They are not fucking dragged on stage, they choose to go on it, the panels or audiences on them shows would not be first to tell them they are shit at singing or whatever, most of the time the people on them shows are deluded and they sign consent forms for image and performance rights. That poor girl is being harassed for nothing she can control, simply because she was born with a disability and some fuckwit decided that would be his entertainment.

I don't think anyone in this thread finds her being harassed funny. Making memes is one thing, targetting her personally is another.

That's not the point, he was trying to prove how shit your analogy was. You simply cannot compare what's happening here with the mocking that happens in reality tv shows... They signed a contract ffs

[cosmic_surgeon]

They are not fucking dragged on stage, they choose to go on it, the panels or audiences on them shows would not be first to tell them they are shit at singing or whatever, most of the time the people on them shows are deluded and they sign consent forms for image and performance rights. That poor girl is being harassed for nothing she can control, simply because she was born with a disability and some fuckwit decided that would be his entertainment.

I don't think anyone in this thread finds her being harassed funny. Making memes is one thing, targetting her personally is another.

That's not the point, he was trying to prove how shit your analogy was. You simply cannot compare what's happening here with the mocking that happens in reality tv shows... They signed a contract ffs

You can foist some arbitrary justification on it to make yourself feel better if you like ("they deserve it, they chose to go on a reality TV show and even signed a contract!") but the reason those shows exist, and the reason why memes like this exist, is because people find the humiliation of others amusing. You don't start finding it funny once they've agreed to the conditions of the show... but how does signing a contract even bargain into it?? Is there a special humiliation clause written into it?

[Lichee]

precisely my point, how does the fact that they chose to go on there make it ok? Jeremy Kyle for example, do you agree with that show or the purpose of it (the purpose certainly isn't to help people with serious problems http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/ap ... treatment)? They chose to go on there. The fact is also, like I said, some people go on there with the mindset that they are amazing and everyone laughs at them and mocks them and in a way bullies them, and people profiteer from it. Why do the viewings of BGT and the X-Factor drop off after the initial try outs? People like laughing at people, it's just sad that people who don't use the internet see these memes as wrong and then turn on the tv and have a good giggle at someone stood on a stage

[Dub_freak]

If they would have just ignored the images then nothing would have happened and the meme would have been forgotten. But now /b/ knows who she really is, the worst is yet to come.

[Pedro Sánchez]

but how does signing a contract even bargain into it?? Is there a special humiliation clause written into it?

There kind of is, yes, they are told before they go on the main performance, after the audition crew have found them, that they might not be as good as they think, do they still wanna perform? they say yes and sign a form agreeing that footage of them and audience reaction, is to belong to the production company. Do you think all them thousand of people turning up are filtered into really good and really bad without contractual agreements for viewing rights and that the bad ones don't know they are the bad ones. Offcom have heavily regulated this format and all these kids get every chance to opt out after the audition crew have sat there pissing themselves at how bad they are. This girl didn't get a chance to opt out when the numbskull used her image without permission. I'm done this.

[dubfordessert]

but how does signing a contract even bargain into it?? Is there a special humiliation clause written into it?

There kind of is, yes, they are told before they go on the main performance, after the audition crew have found them, that they might not be as good as they think, do they still wanna perform? they say yes and sign a form agreeing that footage of them and audience reaction, is to belong to the production company. Do you think all them thousand of people turning up are filtered into really good and really bad without contractual agreements for viewing rights and that the bad ones don't know they are the bad ones. Offcom have heavily regulated this format and all these kids get every chance to opt out after the audition crew have sat there pissing themselves at how bad they are. This girl didn't get a chance to opt out when the numbskull used her image without permission. I'm done this.

that doesn't mean that people who laugh at it aren't doing so vindictively...

otherwise you're right

[Basstronomer]

precisely my point, how does the fact that they chose to go on there make it ok? Jeremy Kyle for example, do you agree with that show or the purpose of it (the purpose certainly isn't to help people with serious problems http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/ap ... treatment)? They chose to go on there. The fact is also, like I said, some people go on there with the mindset that they are amazing and everyone laughs at them and mocks them and in a way bullies them, and people profiteer from it. Why do the viewings of BGT and the X-Factor drop off after the initial try outs? People like laughing at people, it's just sad that people who don't use the internet see these memes as wrong and then turn on the tv and have a good giggle at someone stood on a stage

I don't find these shows funny, embarrassing would be more appropriate. Its just that you know what to expect when you don't know how to sing and go on one of this show convinced that you are the next best singer. Of course people are going to mock you, they would do the same if you were doing this on the street. If anyone would see this girl IRL, people wouldn't think twice if it's acceptable or not to mock her...

[Lichee]

precisely my point, how does the fact that they chose to go on there make it ok? Jeremy Kyle for example, do you agree with that show or the purpose of it (the purpose certainly isn't to help people with serious problems http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/ap ... treatment)? They chose to go on there. The fact is also, like I said, some people go on there with the mindset that they are amazing and everyone laughs at them and mocks them and in a way bullies them, and people profiteer from it. Why do the viewings of BGT and the X-Factor drop off after the initial try outs? People like laughing at people, it's just sad that people who don't use the internet see these memes as wrong and then turn on the tv and have a good giggle at someone stood on a stage

I don't find these shows funny, embarrassing would be more appropriate. Its just that you know what to expect when you don't know how to sing and go on one of this show convinced that you are the next best singer. Of course people are going to mock you, they would do the same if you were doing this on the street. If anyone would see this girl IRL, people wouldn't think twice if it's acceptable or not to mock her...

true, but my point was this isn't real life, BGT and the X Factor are. I didn't even recognise the girl in the Sun article as the meme until it said ti was the meme, if her mum hadn't raised it the girl would be fine. And no I wouldn't laugh at her in real life, but that's because she's not a still picture with a caption above her head with a stupid background posted on a website which I go on to to laugh. When I first ever saw the picture I didn't realise she had downs syndrome, so does that mean the second I realised I am no longer allowed to laugh or it instantly becomes wrong? This debate is gearing towards saying that unless someone is diagnosed with a disability or learning difficulty of some sort, it's ok to laugh at them.

There was a guy who went to my college who went all the way to the Fringe to sing in the street. He's not mentally or physically handicapped in anyway and he was laughed at hard. A friend of mine showed me the video of people laughing. By all this logic, that's ok. However, if he had downs syndrome laughing is wrong.

I'm not saying anything is fair game, i'm saying that just because someone signed a contract to go on a show regulated by offcom and has no physical or mental handicap it's now ok to laugh at and mock them?

[Basstronomer]

Ok, I think were going around in circle here
In short: Bad singing/performing is not a disability and you cannot compare what someone with a mental disability have to endure their whole life to a bad singer that has been laughed at for 5 minutes on the x factor and that everyone is going to forget when the next season comes out.

[dubfordessert]

would add that when you have a disability, even if you do something exactly the same as a non-disabled person does it, if you're visibly disabled or it is known that you are disabled, it gets attached to your disability.

trust if a person with downs syndrome went on the x factor and sang badly, it would be nasty.

[Neptune]

How fucking shit must your own life be to post potatoes through someone else's door. What fucking losers.

[antipode]

They are not fucking dragged on stage, they choose to go on it, the panels or audiences on them shows would not be first to tell them they are shit at singing or whatever, most of the time the people on them shows are deluded and they sign consent forms for image and performance rights. That poor girl is being harassed for nothing she can control, simply because she was born with a disability and some fuckwit decided that would be his entertainment.

I don't think anyone in this thread finds her being harassed funny. Making memes is one thing, targetting her personally is another.

I kind of do.

Just saying.

[AntlionUK]

[dickman69]

that mom's probably seen nearly everyone of those memes...

i bet she chuckled at a few

[Shum]

BBC keeping it classy