Conspiracy theories about the age of a young boy with dwarfism in a viral video expose bigotry toward people with the condition

Conspiracy theories about the age of a young boy with dwarfism in a viral video expose bigotry toward people with the condition

Business·2020-02-27 05:22

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Theories about Quaden Bayles exposed online bigotry toward people with dwarfism.

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Quaden Bayles went viral for a video about school bullies, but the attention quickly turned sour as people on social media claimed he was a teen actor lying about his age.

The theories about his age were untrue, but amid constant accusations about the legitimacy of the video, the video disappeared from social media along with profiles for Quaden and his mother, Yarraka.

Michelle Kraus of Little People of America said the theories were rooted in bigotry against the dwarfism community.

“People have a hard time looking at it, so they instead decide to change the narrative and make it like it’s his fault,” Kraus said.

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The internet is simultaneously both skeptical and gullible; it’s a breeding ground for conspiracy theories that run rampant on social media. From the more serious theories that sex offender Jeffrey Epstein didn’t actually take his own life, to Pizzagate, to more harmless ones, like one that alt-pop musician Avril Lavigne died and was replaced by a lookalike, theories that question reality are omnipresent.

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