Getting Bit

I have had this blog for almost four years now and for the first time the internet has bitten me in the you know what. And it bit hard.

An extremely popular facebook page (with 294,427 likes plus 2,499,433 talking about it) shared an old joke about a Sgt Major and a young college liberal female that is rather crude. It's been heard before, whatever. The problem is they posted a picture of my grandfather and I taken at a ball in 2006 with said joke. Someone contacted me on my facebook page for my blog, which I really do appreciate, and made me aware of this.

I went and saw the post and I am not going to lie, I cried. I still feel sick to my stomach and it kills me. No, people on the internet should not matter, but this got to me. The post has over 12,000 likes, 1,128 comments and 6,382 shares. My Poppy and me are all over the internet. A man who has loyally served his country and also been married for 65 years is in a defaming post from a picture my cousin took of us seven years ago. So as much as it kills me to be called ugly sixteen different ways it kills me even more that the most honorable man I have ever met has become internet fodder through no fault of his own.

I commented asking the picture to be removed and I messaged the group page owner. It is still up. Some people have commented after me asking it to be removed and have shown their support, which I am so grateful for, but I feel so sick still. I finally filed a copyright violation through facebook and reported the post.

But at this point, even if it is removed, that picture has been shared nearly 7,000 times. I doubt deleting the original post will delete all the posts that shared it after. And I am sure those shares were shared. Honeslty I am now crying again as I type this at 2 o'clock in the morning. I know the page owner probably just google searched for an older Sgt Major and a young girl to use and it isn't a personal attack, but it has become one.

People have commented saying terrible things. I have been called ugly and insulted up and down left and right. And it hurts. No one should have strangers pick you apart on the internet. Especially when you're in an early awkward college phase and your eyebrows aren't as thin as you'd like or the lighting is low in a ball room. Either I am ugly or they comment on my presurger chest size or they call me a tag chaser, pension whore and a slut.

It is literally killing me.

I just pray my Poppy never, ever finds out about this.

Looking at the comments was a mistake, but I couldn't help it. I also noticed my step cousin, a fan of the page, early on caught the picture and commented jumping to our defense. Thank you Michael. But now hundreds of comments have followed and even my own was covered. I was polite and just asked it to be removed. Now four hours later it is still up and the page has posted new content within the last hour so I know they have had a chance to see my message (and ignore it) so I reported it.

Again, thank you for those who commented their support. I pray this is removed and something like this never happens again. For the first time since starting this blog.... I regret it.