stop taking photos of strangers
A Wellness Grifter Who Thinks Glasses Are A Scam, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'
![A Wellness Grifter Who Thinks Glasses Are A Scam, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'](jpg/1694772936-ca5nrwmxvi-3.jpg)
Every day, somebody says or does something that earns them the scorn of the internet. Here at Digg, as part of our mission to curate what the internet is talking about right now, we rounded up the main characters on Twitter from this past week and held them accountable for their actions.
Each day on twitter there is one main character. The goal is to never be it
— maple cocaine (@maplecocaine) January 3, 2019
This week, we've got tasteless 9/11 tweets, yet another person taking photos of strangers in public, someone who claims glasses are a hoax and a woman who think it's normal to have several identical pairs of shoes.
Monday
Bad 9/11 takes
The character: People — sharing horrible 9/11 takes and tweets — who don’t realize they should maybe just stay quiet on that day
The plot: September 11, 2023 was a Monday. It had football, people worked and life happened as it usually does. It’s also the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon and United 93 flight. Now, it’s also a day for people to share their favorite, or brand new, awful 9/11 takes in the form of horrifically tasteful and embarrassing tweets.
Heathcliff September 11,2023
— CLASSIC COMIC STRIPS (@ClassicStrips) September 11, 2023
Peter Griffith pic.twitter.com/TsE66PYNil
The repercussion: Some of these will be the cringe-worthy tweets themselves, and some will be reactions. Some will be tone deaf attempts at parody! It’s a real mixed bag, but there was certainly a theme brewing this week and it was people either ready to catch these things live and dunk on them, or just witness Twitter become a breeding ground for 9/11 tweets that should have stayed very much in the drafts.
The White House going out of its way to praise Saudi Arabia on 9/11 is … a choice. https://t.co/XLAODvNHOa
— Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg) September 11, 2023
losing my mind thinking about the person on halsey’s team who had to tell her she just called for the collapse of one world trade https://t.co/eJJmK0KyQ7
— Ben Kesslen (@benkesslen) January 23, 2020
Kudos to this imbecile for having funniest 9/11 post of the day pic.twitter.com/FkBKLPA6yZ
— the information pimp (@BirdRespecter) September 11, 2023
Never forget pic.twitter.com/XJejDMM2dg
— Austinheimer (@awoodustin) September 11, 2023
9/11 political cartoons pic.twitter.com/BzJI59lswD
— thom lately (@sherwudforest) September 9, 2023
Shoutout to my editor at Vibe who, on the afternoon of 9/11/01, told me my review of Ghostface's Bulletproof Wallets, was still due that day.
— joseph monish patel (@jazzbeezy) September 11, 2023
Jared Russo
Saturday
Gabbi
The character: Gabbi, online shopper, Calvin Klein fan, bad at walking, averse to cobblers
The plot: Gabbi posted a picture of her Amazon shopping history which showed that she had purchased the same pair of Calvin Klein Brady pumps, albeit in different colors from time to time, 11 times over the past five years.
"The male mind cannot comprehend this," she posted along with the image.
the male mind cannot comprehend this pic.twitter.com/z2SiDcqm4Y
— gabbi (toxic version) (@its_GOP) September 9, 2023
A lot of non-males popped up to comment that their minds also had trouble processing this. OP did mention that she walks a lot, and that she kept multiple options at work to pick from, but still admitted that going to the cobbler was a "waste" of time.
I wear these basically every day to work and out around the city bc they are super comfy and go with everything, I like to keep a couple pairs in the office in case I wear diff shoes and want to change for a last minute meeting, walking around manhattan does a number on shoes,…
— gabbi (toxic version) (@its_GOP) September 9, 2023
The repercussion: It’s hard to get super mad at things like this, but mostly it was wearers of similar shoes and people with similar tastes who made it clear to the OP that avoiding cobblers isn’t smart.
my mind also cannot comprehend this https://t.co/UaB3q676ff
— one woman cult (@clickholebot) September 9, 2023
Leather shoes with a leather sole can be repaired almost endlessly. Amazon also sells sole protectors and replacement heel caps. There’s literally no reason to buy the same pair of shoes for yourself this many times, especially at $100 a pop. https://t.co/8nEg3fIxkc
— Lakyn Thee Stylist (@OgLakyn) September 10, 2023
Girl I’ve been there before. Find a meal you love and stick with it https://t.co/jXcRxrmhB1 pic.twitter.com/xIXcP9SwvP
— nigel (@bloodxbathe) September 10, 2023
the female mind cannot comprehend this https://t.co/XDaKNmTBZI pic.twitter.com/CehaCzealB
— eigenrobot (@eigenrobot) September 10, 2023
tell me the truth are u eating them https://t.co/xXokRAvZrY
— VIOLENT THOT (@manicpixiegilby) September 10, 2023
Adwait Patil
Wednesday
Rax
The character: @raxsha, person who takes photos of strangers
The plot: On Wednesday, Twitter user Rax shared a photo of a bunch of similarly dressed men eating lunch and looking at their phones in a Chipotle. Along with the picture, she wrote that "midtown is such a dystopian bummer."
I'm sorry but wow midtown is such a dystopian bummer pic.twitter.com/RzuVlrzW9X
— rax 🐀 (@raxsha) September 13, 2023
The repercussion: Many pointed out the obvious thing here, which is that taking photos of strangers and posting them online is not cool.
Others noted that these guys were probably on their lunch break, taking that precious free moment in their work day to check their phones, catch up on messages, watch some funny videos — which is normal and OK. None of those guys need to justify what they're doing anyway, but in any event, sitting on your phone is not grounds for being posted online without your knowledge.
can't even go eat a $13 bowl and check your phone during a lunch break anymore without getting papped for social commentary https://t.co/d3D1YxFC8v
— jenny (@jennygzhang) September 13, 2023
Man, do you know what a good part of the day eating alone while scrolling your phone for 20 minutes is in the middle of a workday? These guys are vibing so hard right now https://t.co/QHhItuiM0V
— petty bourgeois protestant (@pbprot) September 13, 2023
I actually think the far more dystopian thing, and perhaps more indicative of late stage capitalism is believing it’s at all appropriate to take photos of people you don’t know and post them on the internet, for the crime of…wearing business casual? at a chipotle?
— Tisya Mavuram (@tmavuram) September 13, 2023
Oh no, guys in a store wearing the same outfit. Literally 1984.
— ore mine 🇹🇼 (@anticomTW) September 14, 2023
every day on this app I’m more convinced that we need japan’s permanent phone shutter sound feature https://t.co/bFXB8FCxNX
— Hurt CoPain (@SaeedDiCaprio) September 14, 2023
it’s funny because the actual dystopian thing is not being able eat your fuckin lunch without some asshole taking a picture of you. https://t.co/t38AfPxLI6
— go hang a salami, im a lasagna hog (@MattGrippi) September 14, 2023
eating chipotle and looking at your phone >>>>> taking photos of random strangers for internet clout https://t.co/l7IhmIcolX
— TA (@talter) September 13, 2023
Darcy Jimenez
Friday
Samantha Lotus
The character: Samantha Lotus, essential oils rep, person who doesn’t believe in glasses, grifter
The plot: The internet is a brilliant invention, but the fact it gives a platform to people like this makes me wonder if it’s all really worth it. Last week, the below video from TikToker @samantha_lotus was shared on Twitter by user @this_is_mallory.
In the clip, Samantha confidently declares that all optometrists are lying, and that nobody who wears glasses actually needs them. She adds that there are "mental, emotional, physical and even spiritual reasons" why people can’t see. Uh, yeah, I’ve got one of the physical reasons — I am short-sighted.
Samantha then goes on to say that for the low, low price of $11, people can attend her webinar and learn how to restore their vision. Ah, it all makes sense now — yet another wellness grift.
I guess it was only a matter of time before the anti-glasses grift became a thing?
— mallory (she/her)💬 (@this_is_mallory) September 8, 2023
This community is so hellbent on having a contrarian opinion on every incredible scientific invention. pic.twitter.com/mDdFaTSiLi
The repercussion: Pretty much everyone was united in ridiculing the video. Mallory, a Twitter and TikTok user dedicated to debunking wellness misinformation, even went so far as to sign up to Samantha’s wellness webinar and give a running commentary of what it involved (a lot of promo for an essential oil company Samantha is a rep for, as it turns out).
This video is, of course, bullshit. I just want to remind everybody that eye glasses are one of the greatest disability accommodation success stories in human history. Wear your glasses. https://t.co/tXJNrVFkGR
— Dr. Glaucomflecken (@DGlaucomflecken) September 9, 2023
stopped wearing my glasses in on March 2022 after reading about the spiritual connection to eyes. Now I meditate twice a day and never wear glasses bc I can see. I still read things wrong and get into car accidents but i love not having to wear clunky plastic on my face.
— Cigs* (@DoingCigarettes) September 8, 2023
Oh cool another flavor of "your disability is all in your head and can be cured with yoga"
— Damian (@crisis_wheels) September 8, 2023
How long until “You don’t REALLY need to use toilet paper”?
— Dan Bianco (@DanBiancoNYC) September 8, 2023
What bothers me about tiktok is I'll see videos as crazy as this all the time and when I open the comments it's just a combo of people smugly saying they always knew, and people going "whoa really!" like earnestly taking this information in just because it was said assertively https://t.co/pOcbweRAfM
— Jenny Nicholson (@JennyENicholson) September 9, 2023
IT'S REAL https://t.co/Dsp0fLxglb pic.twitter.com/ISXVZPv2OW
— Nikolaj🍦🇺🇦 (@nikicaga) September 9, 2023
NGL I honestly find this video deeply alarming and unsettling like is this a reflection of our busted healthcare system or something bc how the hell does someone get to a point where they’re like…you gotta rise and grind your way out of nearsightedness. https://t.co/jVaVfzoeft
— Ashley Reese (@offbeatorbit) September 9, 2023
Yeah exactly. I fix my vision with crystals! They’re ground into a shape that helps me see and I keep them in front of my eyes all day with a special little holder
— midhusband (@tonybach_) September 8, 2023
@mallorysthoughts #stitch with @Dr. Siyab, MD | Heart doc #greenscreen I paid $11 to take the Vision Healing Masterclass so you dont’ have to 🐍🐍🐍 #wellness #vision #fyp ♬ original sound - mallorysthoughts
Darcy Jimenez
Read the previous edition of our One Main Character column, featuring someone oversharing about their relationship, a gamer who still can't get over the whole pronoun thing and a conservative commentator still firmly stuck in the stone age.