In today’s world, anyone can be a bully. The psychology of bullying shows that while people thrive on making others feel bad about themselves, the reality is that they are projecting their own insecurities on others. In the era of social media, it’s easier for bullies to target their victims when everything and everyone is so accessible.

However, one photographer’s attempt at bullying backfired when strangers on the Internet rallied against his actions.

Shamed just for dancing and having fun

Imagine going out to dance and enjoy your night only to be shamed for it by a complete stranger. That’s what happened to Sean who was simply enjoying a fun night out when someone decided to humiliate him by taking a picture.

The photographer then posted that photo online and used the ugly caption: “Spotted this specimen trying to dance the other week. He stopped when he saw us laughing.”

Mean begets mean, and after the horrible post went online, the social media bullying began to a terrible degree. The post went viral, but in the process, other responses began as well – this time, of friendship, love, and compassion.

The Internet took matters into its own hands

An Internet wide search was conducted, and eventually with the power of Twitter, they found the “Dancing Man,” whose real name is Sean. A group of 1,727 ladies from California decided to throw him his own dance party and captioned the event “Can’t bring me down.” A fundraising page was set up for this campaign and raised $33,000.

When Sean logged into his account online, he was overwhelmed by the kind responses, proving that as vicious as social media can be, it can also be a place of refuge.

Even celebrities like Pharrell Williams, Ellie Goulding, and Cher Lloyd have showed their support and offered encouraging words to Sean.

Stand up for others

Sean’s experience with cyber-bullying that fortunately had a positive, heartwarming result. However, not all stories can have such a happy ending. It’s important to always stand up for those who can’t defend themselves. A little positive encouragement can instill a lot of confidence is someone, proving that love always wins over hate.

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