ABOVE: Scene from an USARC recruiting video (Screenshot via YouTube)
The United States Army Recruiting Command, (USARC) was forced to disable abusive comments this week on its series of five animated recruiting videos released earlier this month, featuring the stories of servicemembers including Corporal Emma Malonelord, who was raised in California by her two mothers.
Malonelord’s video documents how she felt that by being raised by strong female role models contributed to her breaking barriers in a traditionally male dominated military profession.
In a press release, USARC noted, “Emma seemed to have it all. A self-proclaimed “spoiled kid” – growing up with a supportive family, good education, and plenty of extracurriculars – Emma found herself seeking her purpose in life.
“While studying at the University of California, Davis, she admired the humanitarian efforts of some of her sorority sisters and began to feel a pull to be part of something bigger,” it continued. “After meeting with an Army recruiter, she said goodbye to her sorority friends. Though Emma’s moms were initially wary of her joining the Army, they understood their daughter’s desire to chart her own path and, now they are active supporters of the Army community by spearheading letter writing and care package campaigns for Soldiers.”
However, Malonelord’s video triggered a tsunami of abusive and homophobic comments, forcing USARC to disable the comments. The video has had more than 1,049,703 views, 2.2 thousand likes and over 50 thousand dislikes.
“Beginning 12 May, we started noticing a significant uptick in negative commentary,” public affairs chief at the Army Enterprise Marketing Office, Laura DeFrancisco, told the Army Times. “The comments violated our social media policy and were not aligned with Army values. Out of respect for the safety and wellbeing of our soldiers and their families, we have disabled the comments.”
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