Facebook OK with video of kitten set ablaze but not with photo of sick infant

Facebook OK with video of kitten set ablaze but not with photo of sick infant

Maybe Facebook should consider changing its name to Two-Facedbook. It seems unable to make up its mind about what constitutes violence and is therefore deserving of censorship. Or maybe the problem, rather, is that the powers behind the social media giant have already made up their minds and have decided that whatever ever offends their delicate sensibilities at any given moment warrants the silent treatment.

Consider: A post featuring a fundraising appeal by the father of a newborn in need of a heart transplant was ruled unfit for publication on the grounds that the image contained it (reproduced below) was “scary, gory or sensational, and evokes a negative response.”

Child on life support

If this image was deemed “too graphic,” then it stands to reason that a video of a kitten doused in gasoline and set afire would be an easy call. Not so:

A video of a helpless kitten being doused in gasoline has surfaced on Facebook, but despite multiple attempts to get it taken down, the social media site has so far refused.

The disturbing clip shows two men stuffing the tiny kitten into a bucket, pouring gasoline on top of it, and lighting it on fire. The video gets even more disturbing, as the kitten at one point manages to tip the bucket over to free itself as it’s completely caught on fire. The kitten runs away while rolling around the get the flames out, and eventually, the men wind up extinguishing the flames as the cat gasps for air. Just when it looks like it’s over, the men place a plastic bag around the kitten’s head.

Since the video was uploaded onto Facebook, many people have expressed their disgust and have even tried to get the video taken down. 23-year-old Kieran Dunwel of England says he tried to get the video removed, but Facebook has so far refused.

Somehow, this video failed to “breach” any of Facebook’s “community standards.” As the company explained in a lengthy defense:

1410187765666_Image_galleryImage_Facebook_dog_complaint

A pox on these people!

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Howard Portnoy

Howard Portnoy

Howard Portnoy has written for The Blaze, HotAir, NewsBusters, Weasel Zippers, Conservative Firing Line, RedCounty, and New York’s Daily News. He has one published novel, Hot Rain, (G. P. Putnam’s Sons), and has been a guest on Radio Vice Online with Jim Vicevich, The Alana Burke Show, Smart Life with Dr. Gina, and The George Espenlaub Show.

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