One Direction Fans Reach Out To Victims Of Cyber-Bullying
One Direction fans are a famously feisty lot. The loyalty and passion of One Direction fans is second to none, and on occasion that passion spills over into what many construe as unacceptable behaviour. As many people have found out in the past that, if you mess with One Direction or their fans, you can stand by to get roasted. As reported in Inquisitr earlier this week X-Factor failure Mason Noise felt the full force of One Direction fans’ wrath. Noise posted a picture of himself with One Direction’s Liam Payne and said that the highlight of his time on X-Factor was meeting “Harry Styles backing singer.”
The Mirror reports that Noise was bombarded by messages from One Direction fans calling him out for his comments. Of course this is the internet, and for some reason some people, including some One Direction fans think it acceptable to say things online that they would never dream of saying in real life. Noise claimed that some One Direction fans told him to “kill himself” and made death threats against him.
Sadly, as is always the case, a few bad apples can tarnish the good name of millions of people. This is clearly true when it comes to One Direction fans. Who could forget the 2013 Channel 4 documentary Crazy About One Direction in which One Direction fans were portrayed as no better than rabid dogs. As was reported in Telegraph at the time, fans of One Direction were portrayed as a “new breed” of ultra-obsessional fans. Of course, Channel 4 failed to recall the similar furore that surrounded The Beatles, The Osmonds, and many others before them.
Of course, no-one would deny that, amongst their millions of fans, One Direction attract some fans who take their love of the band to a dangerously obsessional level. Sadly, that sort of fan creates a cheap headline and makes it easy to overlook the kindness and generosity displayed by the majority of One Direction fans.
Earlier this week, we reported in Inquisitr that One Direction fans have a huge charitable drive to raise cash for the bands favorite charities in honor of the stars birthday. Louis Tomlinson will be 24-years-old on Christmas Eve, and One Direction fans have already raised some $25,000 for the Eden Dora Trust, a charity of which he is a patron. For some reason, the media fails to see efforts like that as newsworthy.
In 2015, cyber-bullying is a massive problem; it is insidious, pervasive, and can easily ruin lives. It is also something that One Direction fans have been accused of in the past. Of course, the portrayal fails to recognize the excellent work that One Direction and their fans do to tackle the issues of bullying in general and cyber-bullying in particular.
A group of One Direction fans have gotten together to create a safe space on the internet where fans can meet to talk about One Direction in a place where there is “No Drama Allowed.” The creators have developed a fan-run space where people can chat about One Direction’s music and achievements whilst “supporting victims of bullying, always encouraging fans to love and respect one another and One Direction.”
Have you nominated for our #ExtraSmile awards? We want to know who deserves to be crowned the most positive in 2015! pic.twitter.com/2G1R0ggbtu
— The Cybersmile Foundation (@CybersmileHQ) December 9, 2015
The efforts of One Direction and their fans have been recognized in a unique way. The Cybersmile Foundation have recognised the achievements of both One Direction themselves and the fan group “One Direction NDA” by shortlisting both for an #ExtraSmile award. Voting for the awards ends on Monday December 21 and voting can be done on Facebook or by Tweeting @CyberSmileHQ.
dear Paramore fans,
we know what you're going through and are here for you if you need anything
Love,
Directioners— jess misses 5sos (@ovterspvcemgc) December 15, 2015
It is all too easy to write One Direction fans off as silly, obsessed 12-year-old girls, but the truth is very different. As MTV reported this week, kind One Direction fans even reached out to fans of rock band Paramore after one of their members quit the band. The kind and caring side of the One Direction fandom far outweighs the nasty element. One Direction fans should be applauded for their socially aware actions.
[Image Via AP]
