You Don’t Know Him: Social Media Backlash and the Weaponization of Assumptions

By RICHIE D MOWREY for The Sassy Gazette (The Gossip You Didn’t Know You Needed)

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“You don’t know him.”
Not his life. Not his fear. Not his name beyond a trending headline. But you condemned him anyway.

 

Following the first chapter of Karmelo Anthony’s tragic story, the comment sections lit up like bonfires of hate. In just hours, a 17-year-old boy had been turned into a public symbol of everything some people fear, despise, or project.

The crime? A deadly confrontation that ended a life.
The punishment? Character assassination from behind keyboards.

Here are just a few things the internet had to say:

• “Should’ve known from his name alone—Karmelo with a ‘K’? That’s thug spelling.”
• “Why was he carrying a knife if he wasn’t looking for trouble?”
• “Another statistic. Lock him up.”
• “He’s not one of us. Embarrassment to Black folks everywhere.”

This isn’t accountability—it’s projection.

White commenters rushed to paint him as a threat. Black commenters rushed to distance themselves out of shame or fear. Nobody rushed to see him as a child.

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The Weaponization of Assumptions

This wasn’t just a trial in the court of public opinion—it was a public execution of character. And it didn’t require facts, only bias.

What you saw was a name. A mugshot. A brief headline. And you made him everything you were afraid of. You forgot that kids sometimes carry knives out of fear. That teenage boys make terrible decisions under pressure. That trauma doesn’t always look like tears—it sometimes looks like fight or flight.

Here’s a radical truth:
You don’t know Karmelo.

You don’t know what he’s survived. You don’t know if he’s ever been jumped, harassed, or warned to “be ready.” You don’t know what it’s like to grow up with fear braided into your day-to-day life. But you judged anyway.

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The Digital Mob

Social media turned his name into a hashtag, not out of support—but for sport. Because it’s easy to feel powerful behind a screen. To call for punishment when you don’t see the person behind the pixels.

But this isn’t just about Karmelo—it’s about us. How quickly we punish. How lazily we stereotype. How easily we trade justice for spectacle.

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So What Now?

Karmelo Anthony has not been convicted. He is not a public figure. He is a child in a system built to break him before he gets a voice. And the louder the internet gets, the more drowned out the truth becomes.

This case deserves facts. Not fury. Not fantasy. Not Facebook wisdom. Just truth.

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Coming Next: Part III — “The Headlines Tell the Truth—About Us”

In Part III, we dissect how two teens can commit the same act—and be portrayed as two entirely different human beings depending on their race. Stay tuned.

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About the Author

RICHIE D MOWREY writes for The Sassy Gazette, where every word is a truth bomb wrapped in wit and defiance. Richie is committed to tearing down hypocrisy, exposing media bias, and giving voice to the silenced.