Ever since the brutal Sharkeisha video hit the web, tens of millions of people have watched it, producing songs, memes, jokes, comment wars and Urban Dictionary entries.
Almost lost in this craziness, at least as far as many people are concerned, is the reality that a teenage girl was beaten and then shamed in front of an entire nation.
Not just by fellow teenagers, either. Grown men and women have joined in the taunting of ShaMichael Manuel, the victim of the the brutal Sharkeisha viral assault.
ShaMichael has since returned to school, having to face her peers for the first time since a classmate of hers became famous for viciously beating her.
Another classmate recorded it, and watched Sharkeisha deliver a punishing sucker punch, uppercuts and a kick to the face before pulling here away.
How does ShaMichael viewer her assailant and the online bullies now?
Asked by the Huffington Post what her message to Sharkeisha and those who watched the beating would be, the three words that came out of her mouth were stunning:
"I forgive you."
Her mother Olevia Henderson concurred, saying that "I’m not angry at them. As a mother, we want your kids to do right, but I would hope this will be a learning experience."
"Bullying needs to stop. Videotaping assaults need to stop, as well as people glorifying it. They’re glorifying Sharkeisha like she did something great."
"Are you serious? My daughter was assaulted."
The silver lining of this insane story, besides the fact that Sharkeisha was arrested for assault after the video went viral, is ShaMichael Manuel in general.
Despite being brutalized in horrible fashion by a coward who sucker punched her without even having a chance to defend herself, she’s taking the high road.
Despite being set up and believing she was going to pick up some of her belongings while the goons plotted this attack, she is holding her head high.
Despite being in the position where retaliation and hatred would be understood (if not condoned), she is trying to make this a teachable moment for all.
That, if you think about it, is more noteworthy than the video attack itself.
By setting an example of humanity, love and strength during extremely difficult circumstances, they haven’t let the attacker or the Internet cruelty prevail.
If that’s the final word on this story, at least we leave it on a high note.
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