Athletes, Entertainers Rush To Support Bullied Tennessee Boy

[Family Ties Forever!]

That poor boy. Being bullied is awful.

Click link to see video.
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Athletes, Entertainers Rush To Support Bullied Tennessee Boy
Posted: 4:51 PM, December 10, 2017
Updated: 7:13 PM, December 10, 2017

Knoxville, Tenn. - A Tennessee woman's video of her tearful son recounting being bullied at middle school has prompted a wave of support from athletes and entertainers. Kimberly Jones said in a Facebook post Friday she had just picked up her son, Keaton, from school because he was too afraid to go to lunch. In the video, Keaton said other students call him ugly, make fun of his nose and tell him he has no friends. He said milk was poured on him and ham was put down his clothes.

"Just out of curiosity, why do they bully?" Keaton said. "What's the point of it? Why do they find joy in taking innocent people and find a way to be mean to them? It's not OK. "People that are different don't need to be criticized about it. It's not their fault. If you are made fun of, just don't let it bother you."

The video had more than 18 million views as of Sunday, and a crowd sourcing page for Keaton's future education had raised more than $29,000. "We all know how it feels to want to belong," Jones said in her post, "but only a select few know how it really feels not to belong anywhere." On Twitter, Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker invited the Jones family to an upcoming game, while University of Tennessee wide receiver Tyler Byrd said he and several teammates plan to visit Keaton at school.

Country music star Kelsea Ballerini tweeted that the next time she comes home to her native Knoxville, she wants to be with Keaton to witness the bullies apologize. Retired race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on Twitter he wants Keaton to "add me to your long list of friends," and Snoop Dogg said on Instagram that Keaton "has a friend for life" and that "love is the only way to beat hate."

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[MA]

Why is he being bullied?

[Janice]

Awful, and vicious. These creeps have such cruel simple minds. It's great he's getting so much support.

[Babalu]

Originally Posted by MikaelaArsenault

Why is he being bullied?

Bullies bully because they are insecure. Most of them are worthless themselves and bullying someone else makes them feel powerful. That's the only reason. They find someone they think is weak and pick on them. That's why the advice is always to stand up to a bully.

[MA]

Originally Posted by Babalu

Bullies bully because they are insecure. Most of them are worthless themselves and bullying someone else makes them feel powerful. That's the only reason. They find someone they think is weak and pick on them. That's why the advice is always to stand up to a bully.

Good thing I have never been bullied.

[JamesG]

Is Hollywood Still “KeatonStrong”? Facebook Video Gone After Mom’s Confederate Flag Photos Surface
by Greg Evans
Dec. 11, 2017


The feel-good story of celebrity support for bullied 11-year-old Keaton Jones took some unfortunate turns when old social media posts surfaced suggesting racism in his mom’s, Kimberly Jones, recent past.

In addition to pictures of confederate flags, the old posts crudely criticize Colin Kaepernick and others protesting police brutality against black Americans. Some accounts include allegations of racism against the 11-year-old boy, saying he was bullied because he used racial epithets.

Kimberly Jones’ Facebook page, which had posted the bullying video, has been either taken down or closed to views. A Go Fund Me page for the boy surpassed $58,000 today and by late afternoon, the page had stopped accepting donations.





Earlier today, Gregory Clay, the principal of Keaton’s middle school, told local press that bullying isn’t “as rampant as the video would have you believe.”

He also said the incident had happened prior to Friday, and the students involved dealt with. He didn’t contradict the incident itself, though: “Everybody saw the video and it was horrible. We don’t want anyone to feel like that. Keaton’s a good kid. We’ll take care of him.”





Celebrities have since weighed in on the story since the recent developments and most still seem to be supporting the boy:


Patton Oswalt:

"Keaton didn’t get to choose the family that raised & shaped him. How ‘bout showing him that people of all races & creeds can come together? Change things, maybe? Show him a better world?"




Joe Nieves:

"To those of us with compassion, it should not matter who the boy's mother is. He still is the amazing young man. It would be even more glorious if we put politics aside and continue to send love his way."




Miley Cyrus:

"Keaton can’t change who his parents are....but hopefully he can learn from his life experiences an break the cycle of passed down racism. Hopefully his mom also realizes how beautiful the human race is as a whole an reconsiders her ignorant views."




Nathalie Emmanuel:

"Learning that Keaton’s family are supportive of the confederate flag is disappointing for me as a person of colour but I still feel that this child, yes CHILD, deserves to be treated with respect & should not be bullied. The beliefs/hypocrisy of his parents is another issue."




Parson James:

"With the revelations about #KeatonJones family surfacing we must remember a few things. We cannot hold kids accountable for the actions of their parents/family. Though disheartening, we were all moved by the effects of bullying and to end it. Let’s continue to focus on that."

http://deadline.com/2017/12/keaton-j...os-1202224492/

[Tubehead]

Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo Invite Bullying Victim to Avengers Premiere
https://movieweb.com/avengers-infini...llying-victim/

[Dude111]

Very sad

[IllinoisTVFan]

Some article said he was bullied because he called a classmate the n word. If true, then no sympathy. His mom's views should have no affect on how he is treated. However, it could be a lie so assuming he is truly bullied I know how he feels. I was severely bullied in grade school, to the point that a couple of teachers joined in! I remember so many horrible things that happened to me, such as not being chosen school monitor because my classmates didn't like me. Or, having classmates steal my lunch or being eliminated from a writing contest because it was based on classmate votes and they refused to vote for me. I hated grade school and 30 years later still hate the teachers who were mean. One of my bullies is now a friend believe it or not and he told me (I met him later than these incidents) he bullied me because he was interested and it was one of those things (he didn't bully that bad actually). One of the biggest bullies tried to bully me on a Facebook page recently and I blocked him. Yes, he's still a bully.

Why did they bully me? I was very shy, very clumsy, and very smart but I also have a speech problem. I overcame my speech problem to become a DJ and voiceover actress and my clumsiness to be an athlete and a dancer so the joke is on them. I don't take bullying now, I tell people off. I was also bullied because most of my classmates were blonde and fairskinned while I had dark hair and skin.

[JamesG]

Keaton Jones’ Mom on Confederate Flag: “We’re Not Racist,” She Tells Morning News Shows
by Denise Petski
December 12, 2017


Kim Jones, the mother of Keaton Jones, appeared Tuesday on ABC News’ "Good Morning America" and "CBS This Morning", to respond to the controversy sparked after social media revealed photos of Jones, and her children, including Keaton, posing with Confederate flags.

“The only two photos on my entire planet that I am anywhere near a Confederate flag,” she insisted in an interview on "CBS This Morning", calling it “ironic” and “funny.”




Asked if the photos showed “racist intent” she responded, “No. Absolutely not,” and insisted she too has been “bullied and judged” because she “wasn’t racist.”

“I feel like anybody who wants to take the time to ask anybody who I am or even troll through some other pictures, I mean I feel like we’re not racist,” Jones told ABC News. “I mean, people that know us, know that.”

http://deadline.com/2017/12/keaton-j...ca-1202225079/

[mets82]

I was bullied too. I hope Keaton is ok. As much as we should support Keaton, and we should, remember, he's only one of thousands, sadly.

[MA]

Originally Posted by mets82

I was bullied too. I hope Keaton is ok. As much as we should support Keaton, and we should, remember, he's only one of thousands, sadly.

You were?