We adults are so quick to lecture our kids about how easy they have it. With no polio or having to walk 25 miles to school in their overalls, they're spoiled rotten, we tell them. Yet, as Brad Knudson found out, there's a dark side to our kids lives and it lurks on social media.
The Minnesota resident found out to his horror that his 14-year-old daughter was the victim of ongoing racist bullying through Snapchat messenger at the hands of two twins in her class. Knudson and his wife Wendy -- both white -- adopted Dee Dee, Black, when she was just 3.
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Snapchat messages disappear after they've been sent. However, the fourth incident of abuse was captured on camera.
Dee Dee recalled the disgusting details to CBS.
"I looked at my phone and there was just a random video saying that I was the n-word and I was a slut," Dee Dee said. When word reached her father, it would set off loud alarms.
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According to the DailyMail, Knudson said that upon seeing the messages, his reaction quickly shifted from anger to fear -- for his daughter's life.
"I love my daughter and I don't want her to end up committing suicide because of freaking morons," Knudson said. "I can't have this hanging over us and my daughter thinking the worst."
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That's not just concerned father talk, the danger to Dee Dee is real. According to Bullyingstatistics, bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims. The study added that girls aged 10-14 are at an even higher risk.
With no time to lose, Knudson called the police, who had a word with the twins and their parents. While he didn't file charges, Knudson did want to speak with the parents.
He was in for a major shock when he spoke with the father, Deron Puro.
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Proving that the rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree, the twins' father was downright defiant.
"He told me I was crazy, that that's what he did when he was a kid. Him and his family make jokes at the house using this word all the time so what was the big deal?" Knudson recalled.
After their talk, Puro left a nasty voicemail message, calling Knudson 'a n***** lover.'
With the motivation to act, the gloves were off and papa bear went into full attack mode.
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An emotional Knudson took to YouTube to defend his daughter and call out the bullies and their racist father. He played the Snapchat message as well as Puro's voice mail.
The video gained over 1.4 million hits, with the biggest one saved for Puro. Shortly after the video, his employer Roy E. Abbott Futures announced he was no longer with the company.
Meanwhile, Prior Lake Savage Area Schools said they are investigating the incident.
"First and foremost, we do not tolerate racism, harassment or bullying of any kind," said the districts head of communications Kristi Mussman, adding that they 'offer support' for Dee Dee.
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Apart from the bullying, the saddest part of this story isn't the bullies but their racist father. A child takes cues from their parents, so it's hard to see the twins changing if their father doesn't.
We can only hope that he has a moment of self-reflection to and get the motivation to change. You never root for someone to lose their job, but maybe it's just the wake-up call he needs.
As for Dee Dee, while the scars remain she can be confident that her father has her back no matter what. Unlike Puro, Knudson is everything a model father should be.
Be it with our kids or with friends at a cafe, let's all keep in mind the influence of our actions and live through love instead of hate. After all, life's too short.
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