“We Spent $700… My Night Was Ruined!” Woman Loses It After Staff Try To Save Dying Woman Instead Of Serving Her

The ‘internet mob’ can be a dangerous and hateful phenomenon, with social media allowing localized disputes to quickly take on a global scale. In the name of righteous vengeance, the person who committed a wrong can suddenly find themselves bombarded with death threats, their place of employment bullied into firing them and their reputation in tatters, a new form of public shaming that can often be more hateful than the original offense. (Facebook cover image: Gail Frederick)

"We Spent $700... My Night Was Ruined!" Woman Loses It After Staff Try To Save Dying Woman Instead Of Serving Her

Image credits: Gail Frederick (not the actual photo)

This story from 2016 was a perfect example of this. After a women left a heartless and misguided rant on an Indianapolis restaurant’s Facebook page, the internet responded with fury. Yes, her post was hateful and selfish, and the restaurant manager was well within his rights to admonish her in the way he did. But people soon found her profile and business page online and began sending death threats and abuse. Some even found strangers with the same name and harassed them as well. The woman was soon fired from her job and has since disappeared from social media.

"We Spent $700... My Night Was Ruined!" Woman Loses It After Staff Try To Save Dying Woman Instead Of Serving Her

Now the post is going viral again, starting a new round of outrage and indignation about an isolated incident in a restaurant 3 years ago. What is it about these stories that keep us coming back for more? Do we just like the idea of ‘doing our bit’ in the fight against bad behavior and injustice? In an interview with The Telegraph, Dr. Guy Aitchison of University College Dublin believes this might be the case. “It’s a relatively low-cost way to feel like you are doing something noble,” he said. “But there are also darker motivations at work: the psychic pleasure in seeing someone else brought low and humiliated.”

While online shaming does set social standards, sending a powerful message about the need for compassion and kindness through stories like this and the likes of BBQ Becky, for example, perhaps it’s time we began to think about the real-world consequences of ‘destroying’ people for their mistakes, and ask ourselves if there’s a better way to go about it.

Here’s what people had to say about the incident

"We Spent $700... My Night Was Ruined!" Woman Loses It After Staff Try To Save Dying Woman Instead Of Serving Her

I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

Read less »

What do you think ?

POST

Night Owl 5 years ago

"Now the post is going viral again, starting a new round of outrage and indignation about an isolated incident in a restaurant 3 years ago. What is it about these stories that keep us coming back for more?" I'm wondering that, too, BP. But you don't have to share with us every similar story (be it old or new) that is "going viral". Although I'm glad for the update that it helped the old lady's gofundme campaign.

46points

Meowton Mewsk 5 years ago

They actually answer that in the same paragraph lol: “In an interview with The Telegraph, Dr. Guy Aitchison of University College Dublin believes this might be the case. “It’s a relatively low-cost way to feel like you are doing something noble,” he said. “But there are also darker motivations at work: the psychic pleasure in seeing someone else brought low and humiliated.”

14points

Load More Replies...

Ellis 5 years ago

“What is it about these stories that keep coming back for more?” > sites like you BoredPanda, websites that aant to trigger a response from their community so they can milk ad revenue. I haven’t seen this “go viral” anywhere these days but here.

5points

Carol Emory 5 years ago

I think these kinds of stories are important to show that this horrid behavior is not acceptable. Most of these a**holes go around thinking everyone behaves this way and that the lower weaker of the population just need to suck it up. If this display of the consequences of bad behavior gets even a few of those self centered a**holes to step back and review/change their views..then it's well worth it.

2points

mtvare 5 years ago

maybe deeply we like hearing about people worse than us? or most likely we like part where they get right answer and be ashamed? maybe because we see bad people everywhere, maybe even we were abused by one of them, and had no chance to do anything, to tell them what we think about them, to make them understand how bad they act. so when we read about ones getting what they deserve we feel a little satisfaction

2points

Sigrid Vinter 5 years ago

And now, 5 months later, Bored Panda posted it again 🙄

0points

Jane Alexander 5 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Vilkas 5 years ago

It's all for generating revenue. More people on the site = more people clicking ads etc.

0points

Just another bot 5 years ago

And yet, here we all are, reading all of them :/

0points

TJler 5 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Noez 5 years ago (edited)

That woman sounds so nasty I actually feel violated knowing she exists. The way she express herself, talking about "some junkie" and jumping to the conclusion that that "junkie" overdosed while she herself claims she has the right to good service...? I've worked as a waitress years ago and this woman is exactly the type of guest who we (me, collegues, and the resturants/cafés I worked for/with) would ask to take their business elsewhere. I thankfully have a nicer and calmer job now but I keep taking sides with service staff and I keep reminding people to act nice = get treated nice. Service staff are in no way obligated to put up with asswipes, remember that! The resturants response is just 👌

27points

John Louis 5 years ago

These stories are all about ugliness. Why does Boredpanda revel in such nastiness?

12points

Load More Comments

POST

Night Owl 5 years ago

46points

Meowton Mewsk 5 years ago

14points

Load More Replies...

Ellis 5 years ago

5points

Carol Emory 5 years ago

2points

mtvare 5 years ago

2points

Sigrid Vinter 5 years ago

And now, 5 months later, Bored Panda posted it again 🙄

0points

Jane Alexander 5 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Vilkas 5 years ago

It's all for generating revenue. More people on the site = more people clicking ads etc.

0points

Just another bot 5 years ago

And yet, here we all are, reading all of them :/

0points

TJler 5 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Noez 5 years ago (edited)

27points

John Louis 5 years ago

These stories are all about ugliness. Why does Boredpanda revel in such nastiness?

12points

Load More Comments

Related on Bored Panda

“We Spent $700… My Night Was Ruined!” Woman Loses It After Staff Try To Save Dying Woman Instead Of Serving Her

Here’s what people had to say about the incident

Games

Ilona Baliūnaitė

Ilona Baliūnaitė