When her classmate publicly shamed her broken screen and humble shoes in a viral video, the sting of humiliation cut deep. It wasn’t just about a device or a pair of shoes; it was an unspoken reminder of the harsh divide that separates those who have from those who don’t, exposing the raw vulnerability behind a seemingly simple classroom moment.
My school made the switch from paper to laptops/iPads two years ago, and since then you can really see who’s parents have money. I’m currently using some Asus my uncle gave me because my family are below the poverty line; he bought it in 2011, and although the battery is shot, it still runs and word works so I don’t need much else.
There is a pretty big financial devide in my town, and thus a large devide in the school, which is one of two secondary schools. A girl in my class posted a tiktok where she was rating people’s laptops/iPads.
She recorded mine which was plugged in with it’s external hard drive and you could very clearly see the left side of the screen that is broken. She rated it a -3/10 of and wrote “Poor girl” and zoomed in on my shoes to prove a point; my shoes are fine they’re just not air force 1s.
Other laptops that weren’t the latest MacBook or the latest iPad got rated pretty low.
One of my friend’s showed me her video, and I confronted her about it. She seems really sheltered and I asked her to take it down. She refused so then I told her, saying that it’s incredibly classist and I don’t want that on the internet.
She still refused and I got madder eager l each time, eventually I just said, “check your fucking privilege, not everyone can afford a €2000 laptop and not everyone fucking prioritises flashy over functional.”
She hasn’t taken down the video, and my friend who showed me it says I overreacted and that made me an asshole. She said shes just sheltered and I shouldn’t overreact like that.
Conclusion
The original poster (OP) feels hurt and publicly humiliated by a classmate who mocked their financial status and old technology in a widely shared video. The conflict escalated when the OP confronted the classmate, who refused to remove the video, leading to an angry outburst from the OP regarding class privilege.
Is the OP justified in their angry confrontation given the public nature of the bullying and perceived classism, or did their reaction unfairly escalate the situation beyond a reasonable response to being mocked? Both sides need to consider the impact of public shaming versus the validity of the OP’s feelings of injustice.
Here’s how people reacted:
I think it’s really bad of your school to switch knowing not everyone can afford equipment, as a non fee paying school they should know better.
I get the vibe you are Ireland? But I could be wrong. My husband was raised in the poor part of Dublin and was at a school with a similar issue of class divide. Their school got rid of the ‘own clothes day’ as not all children could afford the €1 for it. They also banned any branded clothing and every child was given a school tie and blazer for free.
There is no excuse for this girls actions. The school need to be made aware and they need to maybe rethink that paperless policy too.
Please show admin this video.
It’s cyber bullying and it’s being filmed directly in the school.
If they get wishywasht about it – be assertive. “This was filmed in the school without my permission. I have now been out on the internet specifically with the intent to mock me. This is cyber bullying and an invasion of my privacy. Deal with it before I go to the media.”
I say this as a teacher.
Cyber bullying is hard to deal with for schools because it happens outside of school hours. But in this instance – it’s VERY clearly done AT SCHOOL. It will be a PR nightmare for them. Make them deal with it.
Is there a teacher you can speak to?
**Edit:** I’m not quite sure why I need to explicitly use the word “bullying” to indicate that I think this is bullying, because I thought that was clear from both my comment and my suggestion that OP speak to a teacher. But yes, this is obviously bullying.
Her video is essentially bullying everyone who doesn’t have the latest apple product. Personally, I’d report the video to the school. They were incredibly short sighted to switch to digital without providing the hardware themeselves.
Others have said report the video to tiktok / the school; worth a try but don’t get your hopes up is what I’d say.
And keep your eyes open about your friend, they seem to like to stir up drama at your expense and invalidate your feelings to boot.
She can’t afford your laptop either so she’s only boasting about her parents work, not her own.