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A video of a Holiday Inn receptionist having a mental breakdown while being questioned by an irate guest has largely united social media against the guest filming him.
It's unclear who first published the video, but it had spread around Reddit in /r/publicfreakout before getting reposted to Twitter by rapper Freddie Gibbs, where it gained over 2 million views before Gibbs deleted it, and self-proclaimed "race-baiting" journalist Tariq Nasheed, whose repost has gained over 3.2 million views. The video is still available on YouTube but be warned: it's a tough watch.
In the video, the receptionist appears to be dealing with some sort of clerical error that has made the guest upset. The video picks up after the receptionist had apparently hit his computer in frustration. While the guest aggressively probes him, the receptionist attempts to compose himself before apparently snapping, hitting himself in the head then smashing his head on his computer screen. He then goes to sob offscreen while the customer continues to indignantly complain.
Unlike most public freakout clips, as this one spread across social media, users were extremely sympathetic to the subject.
"This is really fucking sad," wrote one Twitter user. "I have emotional swings and have episodes that have been exacerbated by someone recording and baiting. That guy was completely harmless…what kind of garbage provokes someone when they just need to be left alone in that one specific regard."
This is really fucking sad, I have emotional swings and have episodes that have been exacerbated by someone recording and baiting. That guy was completely harmless…what kind of garbage provokes someone when they just need to be left alone in that one specific regard
— Shubblet, is a DDR appreciator (@Feathered_Biped) April 26, 2021
Other users felt similarly disgusted with the person filming and provoking the receptionist, as well as Gibbs for sharing it with the mocking caption, "Somebody make sure this white boy don’t have a gun."
whoever was filming could have just said, "it's okay man. take your time. we'll figure this out. no worries." would have totally deescalated the situation. instead they hit the gas and this poor sod had a breakdown. zero empathy for the worker. sad sad sad
— é||è (@butchers_mind) April 26, 2021
my man started crying and saying "you're ruining my life" or something that sounded like that. this vid is sad man. hes not taking it out on you if he hit the computer, hes taking it out on the computer you dolt. the recorder is a pos imo
— simple simon, the ass man (@snorleo) April 26, 2021
Anyone making fun of an employee for being harassed into having a mental break is a ghoul.
— 💀 L̷̠̑̽il̷i̸t̷͠h̷ L̴͂̂o̷v̶̑e̵t̷͐t̷͌ 💀 (@LilithLovett) April 26, 2021
As somebody on the spectrum, I’d like to say the person recording this and Freddie Gibbs can go fuck themselves. Poor guy, I hope he gets through this. https://t.co/dWCTLlVO2i
— Fake Nostalgia Critic Thumbnails (@FakeNCritic) April 26, 2021
Screenshots from the Reddit threads about the video show a user claiming to be the beleaguered employee responding in the comments sections (at the moment, the comments and user claiming to be the receptionist have been deleted from the threads). In the comments, the person states they're the subject of the video and that the video shows him on a bad day dealing with BPD and schizo-active tendencies. He alleges that prior to the recording, the customer called him a homophobic slur and that the customer started recording after he stated he had a mental illness. He stated that while the hotel did not move to fire him and in fact ejected the guest for unruly behavior, he has quit the job, as the breakdown served as a wake-up call for him to get out of the industry.
Here's some added context: pic.twitter.com/oF516rDc8s
— PurpleColonel (@PurpleColonelYT) April 26, 2021
A GoFundMe for the worker was set up by Jeremy Hambly, and has gained over $36,000 in donations since it was created yesterday. "A Holiday Inn employee was harassed and filmed by a customer having a mental breakdown & is now receiving death threats & having thoughts of self-harm," wrote Hambly. "Let's give him enough of a head start on finding a job where people don't treat him terrible & he can take a nice little vacation."
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