Classmates Bully This Boy For Creating An Insta Account Reviewing Books In A Group Chat, They Add Him So He Can See It
13-year-old Callum Manning recently started going to a new school in South Shields, United Kingdom. However, instead of a warm welcome, he had to go through totally undeserved mockery. When fellow students discovered Callum’s Instagram account where he celebrates the books he loves, they began ridiculing it on a group chat. And he was on it.
His older sister Ellis Landreth was as disgusted by it as Callum. On Saturday, Ellis tweeted that she “could not believe how awful” some people were. But then something wonderful happened. Her post went viral, generating over 188K likes and has attracted so many supporters, the haters simply drowned in the sea of love for Callum and his hobby.
Famous authors, including the boy’s favorite writer Caroline Kepnes, started sending him messages of encouragement and even offered to ship him copies of their books to review. The heartwarming reactions also grew the young literature lover’s following. Before all of this started, Callum had about 40 of them. Now his fan base is 300K-big. Talk about a Cinderella story!
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Callum’s mother, Carla Landreth, said her son was “devastated” after reading the original messages on the group chat after school on Friday. He was described as “a sad weirdo” because of his passion for books and although he could read the messages, others had blocked him from responding, which, according to his mother, “made things much worse”.
However, the online reaction to this hurtful experience was wonderful. “It has made him feel so good and sends out a really strong, anti-bullying message – a case of who’s getting the last laugh now,” Carla Landreth told the BBC.
She said Callum was “over the moon” to be contacted by authors, in particular. A lot of celebrities, including stars of Geordie Shore, have also contacted him privately. “We even got a ‘good luck’ message from a woman in Iraq,” Carla added. Also, Callum has been invited to visit the Instagram head office.
“It’s just bonkers but in a really good way that we’ve been able to turn a negative into a positive.”
After the word got out, many people, including top authors, started publicly supporting Callum
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I wonder what the parents of these mean kids teach them - kids are sponges. From a young age you need to show them compassion and empathy and be a role model. What they see is what they become. We need more focus on early children education.
This probably all comes from kids being unsupervised on social media. It isn't even because parents wouldn't teach them the right things or educate them to do the right things. It's just because the power of social media allows anyone to be a faceless keyboard warrior without any morals. The kids being absolute angels to their parents can turn into bloodthirsty demons as soon as they have logged in on social media. And their parents won't even know it because they don't know how to supervise their kids on social media.
Load More Replies...What is wrong with our society when a love of reading makes a kid a target for bullying? We should all be reading more. And to think this took place in the UK, not thr USA. I have loved reading since I was little, and my parents encouraged me to read. As a result, during my school years I voraciously devoured book after book after book. I still read a lot. Parents should encourage their kids to read more, a lot more. Playing video games is fine, but it won't improve their mimds.
It really doesn't matter actually where that happened. "Reading books" or passing your own free time doing stuff that has the sole purpose of widening your knowledge, feeding your curiosity or whatsoever is seen as something completely uncool by today's society. A person can read books and play videogames too but sincerely, spending infinite hours in some moronic multiplayer game surely hasn't the same value of playing a single player game that has a deep story. In some games you need at more than basic knowledge to resolve some enigmas and I'm not talking about those puzzles games with hidden objects. There are even videogames set in some particular historical setting that you need to know before even starting the game itself what's going on and why. Playing "Call Of Duty" or "Minecraft" till the early morning hours doesn't make you think and use your wits. I'm an hardcore gamer since young age but strangely, there are also a lot of first editions and leather binded books in my house.
Load More Replies...Gen-Z is so messed up. Bullying has always been going on, but the amount of suicides I see from youngsters now makes my heart break... and bullying a child for READING BOOKS?! What has our world come to? People are so messed up now. There parents need to get their act together NOW!
The problem is not parents. It's the total lack of accountability in the internet. It's like Lord of the Flies out here.
This makes me so f*****g angry as I went through a similar experience. I too joined a new school when I was 13 years old, and I got bullied because both my parents were dead and I ended up moving around three different foster homes and a children's home during my time at that school. To them, that was just ammunition to use against me. This was 30 years ago, and we're still having to talk about it now. It's horrible that children are still going through this and teachers, schools, authorities and the Government still have done nothing to stop it. Its infuriating.
Well, Callum's the one laughing now. He currently has 329K followers on Instagram...including me.
Yes, there will always be s****y people. Kids should be taught to do what they love (that isn't hurting others!) because their lives are enhanced, like this kid sharing his love of books, and to not be concerned with how others feel about it or react to it. "S****y people" are usually hurt people, anyway. Teach your kids that part, too, so that they learn to be empathetic. NOT doormats, but to understand that it's not about them, it's the other person's issues. No one should make themselves small or hide or because the world is tough and there are s****y people. I learned the hard way that when you cower to the taunts of such people, then you not only lose yourself, but you'll also always be a punching bag and a dumping ground for someone's issues. That's no way to live.
I pretty much had a book in my hand since I was born and I was bullied for it in a private Catholic school. Kids can be mean. Good thing he has a great big sister looking out for him!!
I admit it - I love books more than people. Good for Cal! Keep on reading!!!!
What a great story. I love to seek kids reading. If you are a reader, you will never be bored, ever. I personally am a total bookaholic.
Can their names be seen on this group chat? bullying should be made a criminal offence, there are no consequences for their actions.
If they are bullies as kids, what are they going to be like as adults? And these kids are the future? Keep on reading, Cal!
It can't just be me thinking that You is a highly inappropriate book for a 13 year old kid?
Dude, I read IT and Misery when I was in 8th grade, and I was totally fine.
Load More Replies...I wonder what the parents of these mean kids teach them - kids are sponges. From a young age you need to show them compassion and empathy and be a role model. What they see is what they become. We need more focus on early children education.
This probably all comes from kids being unsupervised on social media. It isn't even because parents wouldn't teach them the right things or educate them to do the right things. It's just because the power of social media allows anyone to be a faceless keyboard warrior without any morals. The kids being absolute angels to their parents can turn into bloodthirsty demons as soon as they have logged in on social media. And their parents won't even know it because they don't know how to supervise their kids on social media.
Load More Replies...What is wrong with our society when a love of reading makes a kid a target for bullying? We should all be reading more. And to think this took place in the UK, not thr USA. I have loved reading since I was little, and my parents encouraged me to read. As a result, during my school years I voraciously devoured book after book after book. I still read a lot. Parents should encourage their kids to read more, a lot more. Playing video games is fine, but it won't improve their mimds.
It really doesn't matter actually where that happened. "Reading books" or passing your own free time doing stuff that has the sole purpose of widening your knowledge, feeding your curiosity or whatsoever is seen as something completely uncool by today's society. A person can read books and play videogames too but sincerely, spending infinite hours in some moronic multiplayer game surely hasn't the same value of playing a single player game that has a deep story. In some games you need at more than basic knowledge to resolve some enigmas and I'm not talking about those puzzles games with hidden objects. There are even videogames set in some particular historical setting that you need to know before even starting the game itself what's going on and why. Playing "Call Of Duty" or "Minecraft" till the early morning hours doesn't make you think and use your wits. I'm an hardcore gamer since young age but strangely, there are also a lot of first editions and leather binded books in my house.
Load More Replies...Gen-Z is so messed up. Bullying has always been going on, but the amount of suicides I see from youngsters now makes my heart break... and bullying a child for READING BOOKS?! What has our world come to? People are so messed up now. There parents need to get their act together NOW!
The problem is not parents. It's the total lack of accountability in the internet. It's like Lord of the Flies out here.
This makes me so f*****g angry as I went through a similar experience. I too joined a new school when I was 13 years old, and I got bullied because both my parents were dead and I ended up moving around three different foster homes and a children's home during my time at that school. To them, that was just ammunition to use against me. This was 30 years ago, and we're still having to talk about it now. It's horrible that children are still going through this and teachers, schools, authorities and the Government still have done nothing to stop it. Its infuriating.
Well, Callum's the one laughing now. He currently has 329K followers on Instagram...including me.
Yes, there will always be s****y people. Kids should be taught to do what they love (that isn't hurting others!) because their lives are enhanced, like this kid sharing his love of books, and to not be concerned with how others feel about it or react to it. "S****y people" are usually hurt people, anyway. Teach your kids that part, too, so that they learn to be empathetic. NOT doormats, but to understand that it's not about them, it's the other person's issues. No one should make themselves small or hide or because the world is tough and there are s****y people. I learned the hard way that when you cower to the taunts of such people, then you not only lose yourself, but you'll also always be a punching bag and a dumping ground for someone's issues. That's no way to live.
I pretty much had a book in my hand since I was born and I was bullied for it in a private Catholic school. Kids can be mean. Good thing he has a great big sister looking out for him!!
I admit it - I love books more than people. Good for Cal! Keep on reading!!!!
What a great story. I love to seek kids reading. If you are a reader, you will never be bored, ever. I personally am a total bookaholic.
Can their names be seen on this group chat? bullying should be made a criminal offence, there are no consequences for their actions.
If they are bullies as kids, what are they going to be like as adults? And these kids are the future? Keep on reading, Cal!
It can't just be me thinking that You is a highly inappropriate book for a 13 year old kid?
Dude, I read IT and Misery when I was in 8th grade, and I was totally fine.
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