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  • 2017-01-11 (xsd:date)
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  • Does a Picture Depict Groomsmen Supporting a Paralyzed Man at His Wedding? (en)
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  • On 12 December 2016, a user submitted a version of the image reproduced in the Tweet above to Reddit, in an r/pics thread titled Groomsman hold up paralyzed groom for his wedding. By the following day, the image and its purported backstory were described as trending, and Cosmopolitan covered them with using a clickbait title (This Photo Got Retweeted Over 1.4k Times For The Sweetest Reason), in an article that began as follows: Cosmopolitan eventually ceded that the picture's backstory was most likely not as described, but only following multiple emoji-laden paragraphs that created the opposite impression. At best, it seemed odd to leap to the conclusion that the groom was being held up by several groomsmen in a pose that made no sense for its intended purpose; at worst, it seemed social media hucksters decided to use a random couple's wedding photographs to hawk a made-up story for pageviews. The Reddit thread responsible for the image's viral spread was full of impossible-to-ignore comments at the top, in which users disputed the claim because they recognized the pose in the photograph immediately: Although blogs and viral picture sites were quite likely sourcing the image from Reddit, none of them appeared to note the large consensus that the photograph depicted a common fraternity pose. The web site Diply responsibly covered the claims, identifying Instagram user Rita Shaw and new husband Jared as the image's subjects: Also included were several images of Jared Shaw, standing and dancing without the assistance of his groomsmen: The viral image and its fabricated backstory were considered by many viewers to be harmless and inspiring, but the newly-married Shaws likely had no desire for memories of their special day to be marred by a viral lie. The false backstory was an example of the particularly unsavory practice of reducing disabled people to objects of motivational sentiment (inspiration porn), eliding the difficulties they face and reducing them to one-dimensional plot devices in syrupy yarns. We contacted Rita Shaw via Instagram for comment but have not yet received a response. (Her account has since been set to private.) (en)
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