Social Attack

On 3 October it was announced that Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint at her private residence in Paris by five armed, masked men. The star was tied up in the bathroom and robbed by the men who disguised themselves as police, and as a result, millions of pounds worth of jewellery was stolen from the house. Kim has since reported to be “badly shaken but physically unharmed” after what no doubt must have been a severely emotionally damaging experience for her.

Following the saddening event, there has been a mixture of responses on Twitter. Hundreds of trolls have made a mockery out of the incident, attacking Kim Kardashian personally and tweeting statements such as “Kim Kardashian was robbed…what good news on a Monday” and creating memes to make light of the event. Some users even wished death upon the star. In response, other tweeters have expressed their disappointment in those who have reacted in such a manner by asking that people remember that although a celebrity, Kim Kardashian is still human. Even TV personality James Corden tweeted “people making jokes about @kimkardashian would do well to remember that she’s a mother, a daughter, a wife, a friend. Be nice or shut up”.

I think it is important that we all remember that being a mother, a daughter or a wife does not make anyone more of a victim; the fact that Kim Kardashian is human should be enough. No living being should ever have to experience such a traumatic event. Other responses have stated that Kim’s supposed flaunting of her jewellery and exposure of cleavage just days before is the reason for the attack. We are not inside the minds of the victims and so should be sensitive of the event and its causes. I support the freedom of speech but I believe that in some cases, social media opens up the opportunity for users to troll and attack, which is always hurtful for the receiver to read; celebrity or not.