Buckingham Guard Fired for Calling Kate Middleton a "Stupid Stuck Up Cow" on Facebook
I think it's safe to say that many people are stupid, and even people who aren't stupid often do stupid things. There's no other way to explain the cavalcade of idiotic behavior enabled by social media. My favorite stupid social media trick: people posting incredibly offensive or inappropriate content (photos or text) on social media sites and losing their jobs because of it.
Consider the case of Cameron Reilly, a member of the distinctive "Scots Guard" outside Buckingham Palace, who has been pulled off of parade duty during the upcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and faces dismissal for posting some, ah, indelicate remarks about the royal bride-to-be on Facebook. Oh, also racism and anti-Semitism. Smart!
In his profanity-laced online rants the 18-year-old Reilly specifically referred to Middleton as a "stupid stuck up cow," an attitude which hardly seems likely to curry favor with his employer, Queen Elizabeth, who will shortly become the grandmother-in-law of said cow. It seems Reilly was peeved at the lack of interaction between Middleton and the guard on her recent visit to Buckingham, when all he got was a "sh---y wave," prompting him to ask the world, "Am I not good enough for them! Posh b---h. Who really gives a f--k about her."
A source close to the royals tells People: "This is a treacherous slur on the character of the future Queen. Serious questions need to be asked over this man's suitability to be part of a regiment whose duty is to protect the sovereign. The Scots Guards would never condone one of its own expressing views such as this."
Reilly also graced Facebook with some anti-Semitic remarks following a meeting of Jewish civic leaders at the Tower of London, and referred to Pakistani immigrants living in Britain with an offensive slur. So all in all: a charming young man.
In addition to being pathetically stupid, I think Reilly's (bad) choices encapsulate a widespread disconnect from reality among people using social media, especially when considered alongside an almost endless list of similar transgressions by other hapless fools. Off the top of my head I'm thinking, for example, of the Domino's pizza YouTube fiasco resulting from the "funny" video made by Kristy Hammonds and Michael Setzer, or NYPD officer named Vaughan Ettienne's boast on MySpace that he was "feeling devious" after possibly planting evidence on a suspect.
In short it seems like a lot of people using social media still don't understand that it is, well, social media -- meaning, a thing that allows other people to see what they are doing or saying. Maybe this will change over time, after enough people have been fired because of their own stupid content. Otherwise the best spin I can put on it is economic natural selection: thin the herd!
0 comments on "Buckingham Guard Fired for Calling Kate Middleton a "Stupid Stuck Up Cow" on Facebook".
Leave a Comment
Recent Social Media & Marketing Daily Articles
-
Social Media Boosted Organ Donor Registrations 2000% June 18, 4:03 p.m.
One of the common criticisms of social media activism is that it people’s interest in causes ...
-
Turkey Targets Social Media "Provocateurs" June 17, 1:42 p.m.
There’s a long and inglorious history of authoritarian governments targeting vaguely-defined “provocateurs” for exercising their right ...
-
SocialTwist Analyzes Influencers June 14, 1:44 p.m.
One of the main advantages of social media, from a marketing perspective at least, is that ...
-
LGBT Adults Use Social Networks More June 13, 6:27 p.m.
It’s no secret Americans have taken to social networking in a big way, and lesbian, gay, ...
-
Over Half of U.S. Social Media Users "Like" Brands June 12, 5:11 p.m.
Most Americans who use social media have “liked” a brand on social media, with 57% affirming ...
-
Surprise: Social Media Use Associated With Narcissism, Other Great Qualities June 11, 4:36 p.m.
Narcissism, feelings of superiority, and vanity are all innate characteristics of humanity, but social media may ...
-
Social Media Dominates Smartphone, Tablet Usage June 10, 5:17 p.m.
Social media accounts for roughly a third of the time Americans spend on smartphones, and also ...
-
Employees Say Social Media Increases Productivity June 7, 4:34 p.m.
Contrary to the fears of neurotic bosses, social media access in the workplace actually increases productivity, ...
-
Social Media Has Cost One in Ten Young Adults a Job June 6, 12:29 p.m.
Social media norms are still evolving, and eventually people will probably wise up about what they ...
-
Turkish Twitter Users Arrested June 5, 5:10 p.m.
Wednesday brought more disturbing parallels between Turkey and its less democratic neighbors, as several dozen Turkish ...
It seems for many that social media usage is akin to picking your nose while driving your car. You do it publicly in full view and yet somehow believe no one can see you.
I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, many people (dare I say the majority?) in our society lack common civility and the ability to convey displeasure in a productive, effective, meaningful and constructive manner. I recently had a conversation with a 33-year-old who didn't think his Facebook page (and rate-R content on it) would prevent him from being hired, just because his page was "private".
Clearly, this guard needed a reminder of Social Media etiquette, if he wanted to stay employed. He could have benefitted from a video that a group of classmates and I put together for a Social Media Class. Please feel free to view and share it: www.youtube.com/NextBestThing511.