Avalanche of Online Support for Karen Klein
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The taunting and teasing of school bus monitor Karen Klein has been heard around the world.
Since the video hit the internet, people have poured out their hearts in support of Karen Klein; even their pocketbooks.
The website Indiegogo.com has a fundraising page for Karen that's already raised tens of thousands of dollars to give Klein a vacation.
The man who says he created the site goes by Max. We spoke to him in a phone interview.
"It almost broke my heart. I couldn't watch ‘til the end, so I had to do something about it. The best thing I thought of at the time was to do a fundraiser and put her on a vacation somewhere."
Max says he saw the YouTube video of Karen on the website Reddit. He says his goal was to raise $5,000 for Karen. He's shocked that the amount raised climbed Wednesday night by about $1,000 every few minutes.
“It's great that people are jumping on this so much. They see some injustice. They are rooting for the little guy. They are giving her a vacation, a much needed vacation."
There's also been a Facebook page rooting for Karen. The two men who created it are out of Los Angeles. They also saw the video on Reddit.
"I really want her to see that this generation isn't only about making fun of people and bullying,” said Kenneth Quilantang.
Both men also contributed to the vacation fund.
"I was standing to buy a new video game but instead transferred the money from my credit card to a donation,” said Ronan Macivor.
RIT social media expert Elizabeth Lawley says this video went viral because it was passed on through the right channels.
"Once something bumps up to the front page of Reddit, it goes viral very quickly."
However, she says spreading a positive message can also be harmful for those involved.
"People were posting a lot of personal information about the kids in the video and it was turning into an online vigilante mob, essentially,” said Lawley.
However, one thing good that may come out of this is an expensive vacation for Karen.
Max says he's been in touch with Karen and the funds should be able to go straight into her bank account after the 30-day campaign is complete.
"She said to me that she doesn't want to seem like she's asking for the money, which is true,” said Max.