Over the weekend, a Tennessee middle school student named Keaton Jones captured the hearts of millions thanks to a viral video in which the distraught … tearfully describing the bullying he’s endured at the hands of his classmates.
If you have yet to see Keaton courageously tell his tale, you can check out the full clip below:
Pretty heartwrenching stuff, right?
Not surprisingly, Keaton’s story has earned him the sympathy and support of hundreds of celebrities, many of whom have posted encouraging messages and even offered to meet with him.
But as is the case with just about everything in 2017, this situation isn’t as simple as it seems.
The video was recorded and uploaded by Keaton’s mother, Kimberly Jones, who presumably would’ve cleaned up her social media accounts had she known that her son was about to go viral.
Kimberly has allegedly posted several photos in which she’s seen waving an Confederate flag.
Not only that, some of her status updates are painfully ironic tone in the hours since she’s become an anti-bullying advocate:
“Dear butt hurt Americans, If you aren’t bleeding, no bones are sticking out & you can breathe, STOP crying! For the love, some folks clearly never picked a switch,” Jones recently wrote.
“And before y’all start talking to me about metaphorical, emotional, financial or historical blood & brokenness, Don’t. Join a group.”
Now, skeptics are calling for an immediate halt on donations to the GoFundMe page set up by Keaton’s mother until the situation can be sorted out.
Many beliebe that Mrs. Jones is at best an opportunist, and at worst a scam artist.
It seems one of those people is Teen Mom 2 star Kailyn Lowry:
In a since-deleted tweet, Lowry wrote, “People are really quick to throw money around before knowing the situation.”
She also retweeted an article about MMA Joe Schilling, who says he reached out to Kimberly and was shocked with the reply he received.
Schilling says that he offered to meet with Keaton and was appalled to find that his mother simply wanted cash.
Mrs. Jones has not spoken publicly about the allegations, but a source close to the situation says Schilling was communicating with a fake Instagram account.
Obviously, no matter how this situation plays out, Keaton is indisputably a victim here.
The question that remains is whether he’s being victimized by his classmates, or his bigoted parents.
Whatever the case, the support for Keaton highlighted the very best of humanity, while the allegations against his mother reminded us of the very worst.
Many have suggested that until the matter is sorted out, those who wish to offer their support to those whose lives have been affected by bullying can contribute to the fundraiser for the family of Ashawnty Davis, an elementary school girl who chose to take her own life rather than endure another day of bullying.