Growing up, whenever people saw someone that was doing something that may be deemed as different, the amount of people who would stare outnumber those who just walk away. If somebody had a visible disability, injury or difference, such as using crutches, it was common for young children to ask ‘what is that thing in his hand?’ Or ‘why is his leg in a weird bandage?’. 

When young children ask these questions, parents may explain it could be due to an injury and may educate the child about making comments about others. 

The issue is, especially with the use of mobile phones, now-a-days it is all too common for adults to be the one’s causing the problem. 

Scrolling through social media, how often is it that a video is uploaded of somebody in public without their consent? 

Whether it be somebody who appears to be under the influence of drugs/alcohol, somebody who is in a distressed state or somebody who is simply doing something that may be deemed as different. 

Is it legal to film in public? Yes. But does it make it right? Whenever these videos or photos are uploaded to the internet, the comments get flooded by adults laughing, making comments or judgements.

Two examples that spring to mind are videos of people singing in public. With one of the videos, it transpired that the person filmed has bipolar disorder and was going through a manic period and singing was the only thing that helped them. The comments on the video, however, were just mocking him and somebody next to him who was constantly trying to hold in his laughter. 

For those who don’t film, they may laugh with their friends or make comments about what they saw. The issue many forget is that it is still a person at the end of the day and unless you’ve walked in their shoes, you don’t know what they’re going through. For comments made on social media, there is a high chance that person may end up seeing them, as well as others who may be going through the same things that person is. 

Despite teaching children to be accepting of others, it is often the adults who impose the criticism and stigma of anybody who doesn’t fit their expectations. 

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