A大爷 named Matt Janes from St. Thomas, Ontario never imagined that one impulsive action would completely transform his and his family's life.
In the lineup for a recent Liberal Party leadership event with Mark Carney (Mark Carney), Janes was photographed giving the middle finger to anti-Liberal protesters. He later regretted this impulsive act and said it led to a barrage of online abuse targeting him, his family, and organizations he had been involved with.
Source: X/Caryma Sa'd
The photo was taken last Friday (April 18) when retired Matt Janes and other Carney supporters queued outside a brewery in Brantford, waiting to meet Carney. Janes is a volunteer for local Liberal candidate David Goodwin.
During the intense federal election campaign, the photo quickly went viral on social media platforms like X, Facebook, and TikTok, being turned into memes. Janes was soon nicknamed "Brantford Boomer" by some netizens.
On Thursday, Janes denied the implications suggested by this nickname and the speculations of some people online: that his middle finger gesture was aimed at young Canadians or showed indifference to these issues. He insisted that the gesture was only directed at the photographer and the anti-Carney protesters.
"They were shouting insults at us from across the street, verbally attacking the queue, and at least one person was holding a 'F--k Carney' flag," Janes recalled. "They were also using megaphones to spread conspiracy theories, and there were cameras everywhere, filming us."
A video on Facebook showed that some protesters even made vicious comments about Carney's daughter, while another protester called members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police "pedophile protectors" and referred to Carney supporters as "pedophile lovers."
When Janes approached the entrance, someone filmed him with their phone, and he said he couldn't take it anymore at that moment.
"I gave them the reaction they wanted," he said. "These people want nothing more than to discourage active participation in our country's politics."
However, he now regrets his impulsive behavior.
As the photo spread, Janes was subjected to doxing and exposure almost immediately. He described the past week as "hellish" and said tens of thousands of comments forced him to delete his Facebook page. Organizations associated with him also became targets of attacks, including a local brewery he once invested in and a community organization he volunteered for in St. Thomas.
Source: Facebook
The yarn shop founded by his wife also became a target of online attacks, despite her selling it six years ago.
"We received many negative reviews," said Jolyn Gardner, owner of the yarn shop. "We're just a small business trying to do our job, but this has brought unnecessary turmoil without reason."
As more people shared the photo, Janes said the situation continued to escalate.
"This completely disrupted my life, and my wife is also very upset. She feels uncomfortable going out now. We hope things will calm down after the election," he said.
A reputation management expert said that with the popularity of social media, such viral incidents are becoming increasingly common, affecting not only public figures but also those who are less well-known.
Matthew Earle, president of Reputation.ca, a reputation management company, said: "Some netizens comment without understanding the full story, especially if it's negative, which can cause psychological trauma to individuals who suddenly become the focus of viral events."
For non-public figures who inadvertently become the center of viral events, Earle suggests issuing an appropriate statement online or in the media and then handling the situation discreetly.
Janes lamented that he was "too naive" at the time. If faced with a similar situation again, he would choose to ignore those seeking a reaction.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497379998371676712/
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