Upon waking up this morning, I received a disgusting Instagram DM that made me think, ‘Not today Satan.’ Despite the recklessness, evilness, and outrageousness of my subsequent actions, I must say that I feel much better for it.
The whole ordeal began last week when I wrote an article about a new dating trend where women refuse to sleep with a man until he has spent at least $2,000 on dates with her. After some reflection and a string of bad dating experiences, I found myself not entirely opposed to this trend. It allows for more time to determine compatibility, potential for a real relationship, and eliminates time-wasting individuals. It may be a bit expensive, unless the person is wealthy.
Since then, I have been bombarded with hateful comments from a specific group of men in society. I received Instagram DMs, YouTube videos from Andrew Tate wannabees, and this morning, a text from an English cricketer that said, ‘Threesome? Anal? Or do you charge a minimum of $2000 for that as well.’
In response to this vile message, I was not in the mood to be confronted with such lewdness and inappropriateness. Therefore, I decided to do some investigating. I looked at the cricketer’s Instagram profile and was delighted to discover that he was sponsored by a well-known cricket brand. This gave me an idea.
In a moment of pettiness, I took a screenshot of the cricketer’s offensive message and sent it to the cricket brand’s Instagram account. I included a message stating, ‘Hi there, I just wanted to bring to your attention that one of your ambassadors is sending women messages like this one he sent me today…’I decided to take further action after receiving a message from a cricketer. I took a screenshot of the message and sent it back to him without any additional text. This screenshot included his original message to me as well as the message I sent to his sponsored sporting company. Shortly after, I received a response from him. However, I must warn you, it was a very unimpressive and unimaginative response. He claimed that his account had been hacked and asked me to ignore any messages.
I found it hard to believe that his account was hacked so quickly, as it usually takes longer to notice and change your password. I know this from personal experience and from witnessing my friend’s struggle with a hacked Instagram account. Despite my doubts, I decided to reply to him. I called out his lie and expressed my hope that he would stop sending women inappropriate messages.
He once again used the excuse of his account being hacked, claiming that he clicked on a link that led to his Facebook and Instagram being compromised. I found it unbelievable that he was able to regain control of his “hacked” account in less than a minute. In response, I simply replied with a sarcastic “Sure mate.”
He then responded with the same phrase, “Sure mate,” directed towards me. I know it may seem petty, but it was early in the morning and I was not in the mood for misogyny. So, I told him to stop messaging me. Finally, he revealed his true thoughts by responding, “You don’t need to reply, do you? Sort your attitude.”The cricketer sent a vile message, but only backed down when I reported it to his sponsor. I had had enough of this nonsense, although not completely. I took a screenshot of his final message and sent it to the cricket brand before blocking him. It’s safe to say that his mistake of sending a disgusting message from his Instagram account, which revealed his name and the company that sponsors him, came back to haunt him. His attempt to assert his dominance through a direct message didn’t go as planned, as it ended up in the hands of his sponsor. It’s funny how one’s arrogance diminishes when faced with the consequences of their actions. I suggest that he proudly display his misogynistic anger so that we can all avoid him in the future. Alternatively, he could educate himself on how to speak to others respectfully and strive to improve. I’m always open to a healthy debate, just not one that involves inappropriate language. It’s quite overwhelming, especially before I’ve had my morning coffee.
