They were grieving the loss of a parent to Covid. Then the bullies came.
Kailey Whitman for NBC NewsWhen Jennifer Ritz Sullivan's mother, Earla, died of Covid in December 2020, pandemic protocols meant she couldn't be in the hospital with Earla as she took her last breath.
Ritz Sullivan is far from alone. People who spoke to NBC News said such abuse ranges from online strangers belittling those in mourning to microaggressions from close family and friends who"It doesn't matter if it's from a stranger, a peer or a co-worker. It's emotionally devastating," said Sue Scheff, an internet safety expert and the author of"Shame Nation: The Global Epidemic of Online Hate.
A majority of comments on the posts were kind and comforting, expressing heartfelt sympathies. But the rare messages of hate are the ones that stick:"Such vitriol targeting a grieving person was highly unusual before the pandemic, said Ari Eisen, a co-founder of the Covid Grief Network, a group that offers support and grief counseling to young adults who've lost loved ones to Covid.