When you face harassment in real life and online, where can you turn? If you are redditor TheNippleComplex, the answer is simple: r/cringepics.
More than 230,000 subscribers flock to r/cringepics (and the video-focused r/cringe) to view photographs and screenshots of people you’d never want to know in real life. TheNippleComplex, on the other hand, had a different reason for soliciting the attention of the subreddit.
“This guy stalked me for the better part of high school, then posted my number all over 4chan when I didn’t want to date him. Enjoy,” she wrote in her July 22 post.
The post was coupled with 10 images of the bully in question, culled from his personal Facebook page. Here’s one:
Photo via TheNippleComplex/Imgur
TheNippleComplex said the unidentified culprit is anywhere from 18 to 20 years old in the photographs. He is also a recent Marines recruit.
“He made 5 sneaky Facebook accounts to try to add me, mostly under girls and I later found out,” she explained. “He followed me around school and I had to get a school restraining order because after rejecting him, he followed behind my back yelling “Whore! Slut!” etc. wherever I went. Found me on every social media site. Posted pictures of me everywhere. More things I can’t/don’t want to remember. Also, the last time he did it and my dad had to talk him down, I was in Wal-Mart and he kept at the end of every aisle I went to, staring at me.”
She explained how things intensified once her phone number made it to 4chan.
I basically got a lot of calls and texts for a good two weeks. When I answered, the few times I did, there was usually just breathing. I got mostly voicemails and texts of rapey/creepy things and even a few cringey statements of, “YOU’VE BEEN TROLLED BY ANONYMOUS”. Yes, really.
Her post to r/cringepics was allegedly her first—and only—form of online retribution.
“Posting this was probably the bitchiest thing I’ve done,” she revealed. “But I can assure you, he was pretty awful. I actually had to get a schoolwide restraining order, because there was only one school in our town and filing an actual one would mean he’d have to go to a different school, and I felt bad if I had to do that to his family.”
Redditors reactions to TheNippleComplex’s tale were mixed. Many expressed their support for her and their displeasure with the perp—and his choice of what makes for a good photographic representation of himself.
“I can imagine him on the news. I can pretty much imagine exactly what he’d be like in person. No one should judge by looks, but sometimes your gut’s judgement is the most accurate and trustworthy,” responded redditor SteveEsquire.
“I know your pain!” redditor BrokeArtMajor said. “A few months ago someone took my profile picture, full name, and phone number and posted it on 4chan. :(
“Luckily a white knight told me where he found the info and saved me from trying to figure out why I kept getting awful calls. I dealt with being harassed, threatened, and dick pics for a good month before they gave up when I stopped replying. It was awful. That guy who did that to you is a dick that looks like he took a tire iron to the face.”
Others, however, think that TheNippleComplex herself became the bully in the scenario.
“What this guy did is wrong (assuming you’re telling the truth) but trashing him on Reddit is just as bad,” Gustomaximus said. “On the other hand, he might have not done any of this and your just getting people to trash him on Reddit for fun. Either way I don’t agree with the behaviour and that is why I down-voted this post.”
TheNippleComplex insisted that it was never her intent to invite further bullying.
“I honestly didn’t think that people would break the rules and actually have really, REALLY mean bullying comments. Bullying isn’t tolerated and I expected more typical CringePics comments laughing about fedoras and Annoying Orange, not full on hostile comments wanting to kill this kid. THAT’S really out of line.”
Photo via TheNippleComplex/Imgur