ABC Bachelorette host Chris Harrison with Clare Crawley.
The Bachelorette frontrunner Dale Moss has a problem with some of the discourse on social media right now. In an eight-and-a-half minute monologue on his Instagram, the 32-year-old former NFL player asked people to think twice before tearing others down on the Internet with hateful messages.
“It amazes me how f****** brutal and desensitized people can be to real human beings and their feelings,” Moss said. “Everyone has fun, they do things to laugh, to make fun, to have a joke. They’re not always easy to take, but I can get past it. But when you start putting people’s livelihoods or their safety in jeopardy, it’s a f****** problem.”
At no point during the video did Moss mention The Bachelorette, his fellow contestants, or Clare Crawley. He also wasn’t specific about what prompted his rant, but the best guess is that it’s in response to the tremendous amount of criticism and negative attention Crawley (who’s believed to be his fiancé now) has received in October.
Recently, some fans have even gone so far as to share Crawley’s personal address and phone number, encouraging others to harass and antagonize The Bachelorette lead.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion, to voice what they think is right and what they do not think is right, but when you start crossing the line and putting people’s safety in jeopardy…it’s gone too far,” Moss said. “It’s all about a respect thing. I know in my lowest of lows and my darkest of times, there’s certain things I would never say or do to my worst enemy that I’ve seen all over the Internet to countless people.”
Moss Isn’t Alone in Voicing Concerns About Rampant Hate Online
ABC/Kelsey McNeal“The Bachelor: The Women Tell All”
During the “Women Tell All” episode of season 24 of The Bachelor, former Bachelorette lead Rachel Lindsay was brought on stage to address the tremendous amount of hate the cast of the show receives online. She read out loud and showed some of the explicit, shocking, and sometimes racist messages directed at people featured on the show.
So it’s not at all surprising that Lindsay is one of the people who has recently said Bachelor Nation needs to lay off Crawley. She said in an Instagram story that the criticism has been “absolutely ridiculous” and Crawley doesn’t deserve the things that have been said about her.
Other notables in the Bachelor world have chimed in with similar thoughts on Twitter:
Well this should be a real fun night of social media activity surrounding the Bachelorette. Just remember, before you hit send on your tweet, ask yourself if it’s really necessary for you to spew so much hate and vitriol. SPOILER: It isn’t.
After every episode I always check the comments on controversial contestants on their IG. Just to check on them. Ppl of the internet can be extremely cruel so pls remember that despite your opinion these people are humans too. #TheBachelorette
Moss Asks Fans to Think Twice Before Posting Hate Online
If Moss’ video could be boiled down into a single sentiment, it’s that people should have a little more empathy for one another.
“When you’re not face to face and dealing with someone, it’s easy to say certain things and not know how they land,” Moss said. “Literally just as a human being think about your words and the affect they have on the people around you. And also think about what it says about you as a human being if you can project hate and project those things. It’s bothersome. But I think that’s where you can take a look at self and really analyze who really needs to do the work.”
“Try to build somebody up rather than tear them down. It’s powerful and it’ll change your life more than you could ever imagine… S*** hurts, it cuts deep for a lot of people. And also have some self-awareness, and if you’re spewing hate — racial, sexual, all these things — take a look at yourself as well. It’s not okay. It says a lot more about the people who are doing it than the people who are receiving it.”
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