When 11-year-old Logan Fairbanks published a YouTube video addressing his haters, he probably didn’t expect much of a response from the Internet at large. Instead, his stirring response to his bullies made him the viral video star du jour, and earned both him and his father Josh invitations to the White House.
In Logan’s two-minute video, he stares directly into the camera and reads off several insults he has received as YouTube comments. While he’s certainly not the first person to point out the nasty wounds hurtful comments can cause, his slow, somber delivery makes his anti-bullying plea into a raw, emotional video.
In the six days after posting his video, Logan pulled in nearly 750,000 views. He also left a mark on the thousands of people who stopped by to leave him comments. “Hey Logan, I’m proud of you for standing up to bullying, it’s unfortunately something a lot of people have had to deal with but often very little is done about it,” wrote YouTube gamer Ohmwrecker. “Keep your head up, and don’t let the haters stop you from doing anything that you’re passionate about. As you get older those haters will matter less and less, I promise you.”
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One particularly important person who took a shine to Logan and his anti-bullying stand was Valerie Jarrett, a Senior Advisor to President Obama. In a tweet, Jarrett invited Logan and his dad to come by the White House. The two Michiganders eagerly accepted the offer.
.@DadVsLogan If you’re ever in DC, pls stop by the @WhiteHouse and say hi. Logan may be a future occupant one day 🙂 https://t.co/38wvYDB84C
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) July 11, 2015
@vj44 @WhiteHouse Thanks to some amazing people it looks like we are going to be able to make the trip. Would love to visit you. DM us.
— Dad vs. Logan (@DadVsLogan) July 12, 2015
Even though cyberbullies hide behind anonymity, Logan’s video shows it is possible to combat them in a meaningful way. Kudos to the White House for picking up Logan’s story and rewarding him for his bravery.
