Teen Bullied for Posing with Stranger’s Sports Car–Until Car Owner Fires Back and Does Something Awesome

(Photo courtesy of Raja Nur Marisa)

While social media can bring people together, it can also be a tough place for teenagers who fall victim to cyberbullying as it was for a Malaysian boy from Kuala Lumpur who posted a picture of himself trying to look cool beside an expensive sports car.

The youngster was doing what teens do best: having fun, and it was innocent enough. When he posted it on Instagram, he received lots of admiring comments from social media users who wondered how such a young kid could afford a car like that.

Yet, the car’s real owner, racing enthusiast beauty Raja Nur Marisa (Marisalerose on Twitter), saw the post. She retweeted it, explaining:

“Random kid with my car, I don’t mind but, look at his comment bruh.”

The adorable comment read:

“Always push yourself.”

Marisa didn’t bear ill will toward the boy, yet unexpectedly, her social media post setting the record straight about the car unleashed a storm of negative comments mocking the teen. The initial praise turned into bullying, as he had been found out faking ownership of the car.

As comments inundated the boy’s social media accounts, Marisa soon came to his defense on Twitter. “Guys, why criticise the boy, he didn’t do anything wrong, he’s still young,” she wrote. “I don’t even care about his comment.” But the attacks kept coming, and Marisa felt like she needed to do something more drastic to bolster the teen who had been battered online.

She contacted him via social media, then she drove over to meet him for another photo session with the car. Along with posting the friendly picture of the two of them on Instagram, Marisa also called on people to stop bullying him. She described waking up and worrying about the harassment the teen was facing on the internet.

Photo courtesy of Raja Nur Marisa

As bad as he had been treated online, she noted what would likely happen if older students at his school found out. She asked all those who had criticized him, “Do you ever think of [the consequences] when you leave negative comments to someone? How it affects them?”

She added:

“I used to do stupid stuff at that age too. I did so many things I regret & wish I wouldn’t have done, I learned. Sooner or later he’s gonna realize it too & be a much better person, what he needs is time to go through what normal kids his age would. Most importantly I don’t want him to have bitter memories when he’s at that age, especially if it’s cuz of me. I can do so many wrong things, but I can never forgive myself if I did wrong that would affect others.”

Photo courtesy of Raja Nur Marisa

She sympathized:

“I remember how it felt when people made fun of me back in school, no one was there for me & since I could make a difference for this kid, that’s why I chose to do what’s best for him.”

Thankfully, Marisa’s push for empathy had an effect and turned the situation around. After her plea, she received many positive comments from people around Southeast Asia and the world. In parting, she encouraged more people to have a more positive impact:

“I hope when you get the chance to make a difference in someone’s life, you'd grab it too.”