Cardi B has defended herself after publicly slamming the Dalai Lama for asking a young boy to "suck his tongue."
The current Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet with Tenzin Gyatso, who currently holds the title, referring to himself as "a simple Buddhist monk". He's revered by millions worldwide and is often thought to be the reincarnation of his 13 predecessors.
As previously reported, the Dalai Lama was seen hugging and kissing a child on the lips at an event in Dharamshala, northern India. If that wasn't enough, he then asks the child to "suck his tongue". In the widely-shared video, the boy can be seen approaching the religious leader and asking if he is allowed to hug him. The 87-year-old points to his cheek and says: "First here", as he asks for a kiss.
He then pulls the young boy close to him, sticking out his tongue and asking the boy to "suck" it.
The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the 14th incarnation. Credit: FIORANI FABIO / Alamy
Cardi B was amongst a host of people who found the video to be disturbing and distressing. In fact, the 29-year-old 'WAP' rapper - who shares children Kulture, four, and Wave, 19 months with Migos rapper Offset - took to Twitter to remind parents to teach their kids to set "boundaries".
"This world is full of predators. They prey on the innocent. The ones who are most unknowing, our children. Predators could be our neighbors, our school teachers, even people wit money ,power & our churches. Constantly talk with your kids about boundaries and what they shouldn't allow people to do to them [sic]," she commented.
However, the rapper doubled down on her tweet after someone commented: "I agree with this statement, however, we have to reconsider our wording when we say 'allow' children are defenseless to predators they can't stop them. What they need to know is that it's always safe to come tell someone right away. And they will be believed and defended."
"I don't gotta watch my words..I know exactly wat I mean from the time you start potty training your kids you should tell them DONT LET nobody touch your privates,enter the bathroom wit you and don't keep no secrets away from mommy …You took one word to try to make debate …DRINK YOUR COFFEE [sic]," Cardi responded.
Her reply was praised on social media, with one person tweeting in response: "Thats why its very important to teach and educate our kids from young. I hope these are taught in schools too when they grow older and to report to the authorities if anything happens to them."
"The most important is don't keep no secret. Parents should learn to have a deep connection with their kids. Don't let work distract you from creating that connection cuz it works. And a good parents should have a listening ear and not judge before concluding. So yeah you're right," someone else added.
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet with Tenzin Gyatso, who currently holds the title, referring to himself as "a simple Buddhist monk". He's revered by millions worldwide and is often thought to be the reincarnation of his 13 predecessors.
As previously reported, the Dalai Lama was seen hugging and kissing a child on the lips at an event in Dharamshala, northern India. If that wasn't enough, he then asks the child to "suck his tongue". In the widely-shared video, the boy can be seen approaching the religious leader and asking if he is allowed to hug him. The 87-year-old points to his cheek and says: "First here", as he asks for a kiss.
Pointing to his lips, the Dalai Lama says: "Then I think finally here also", as he pulls the boy in by his chin for a kiss on the lips, before sticking out his tongue, and subsequently asking him to suck it.
Credit: FIORANI FABIO / Alamy
Many people were shocked, first of all, that it was the Dalai Lama of all people who was involved in something so disturbing - with parents across the globe outraged that a child was put in a situation that felt exploitative.
Mother-of-two Cardi B - who shares Kulture, four, and Wave, 19 months, with Migos rapper Offset - is included in that group. In fact, the 30-year-old 'Clout' rapper took to Twitter to hit out at the Dalai Lama over the incident, writing that parents need to focus on discussing "boundaries" with their children.
"This world is full of predators. They prey on the innocent. The ones who are most unknowing, our children. Predators could be our neighbors, our school teachers, even people wit money ,power & our churches. Constantly talk with your kids about boundaries and what they shouldn't allow people to do to them [sic]," she commented.
Following the intense backlash after the video went viral, the Dalai Lama released a statement expressing his regret over the incident, writing on his website: "A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused."
He continued: "His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident."
The Dalai Lama has offered an apology to those concerned after a video circulated online of him asking a boy to "suck his tongue".
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet with Tenzin Gyatso, who currently holds the title, referring to himself as "a simple Buddhist monk".
The religious leader is revered by millions worldwide and is often thought to be the reincarnation of his 13 predecessors.
As reported by CNN, at an event in Dharamshala, northern India, the Dalai Lama was seen hugging and kissing a child on the lips, before asking him to "suck his tongue".
See the footage below:
During the video, the boy approaches the religious leader and asks if he is allowed to hug him. The 87-year-old points to his cheek and says: "First here", as he asks for a kiss.
Pointing to his lips, the Dalai Lama says: "Then I think finally here also", as he pulls the boy in by his chin for a kiss on the lips, before sticking out his tongue.
After footage of the event was circulated online, the 87-year-old has come under fire for his actions with the young boy, whose identity remains unknown.
Following the backlash, the religious leader released a statement on Twitter apologizing for the offense that the footage caused.
"A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug," the statement began.
It continued: "His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused.
"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident."
A Delhi-based child rights group Haq: Center for Child Rights, told CNN: "Some news refers to Tibetan culture about showing tongue, but this video is certainly not about any cultural expression, and even if it is, such cultural expressions are not acceptable."
The event was set up by the M3M Foundation, which is part of the Indian real estate company M3M Group based in Dharamshala.
As reported, the people of Tibet practiced a unique form of Buddhism, and after China released its communist anti-religious legislation, protests broke out in the region.
The current Dalai Lama is the 14th incarnation. Credit: FIORANI FABIO / Alamy
In March 1959, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee Tibet and now lives in permanent exile in Dharamshala, where he established a Tibetan shadow government.
In 1989, the religious leader was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent protests against the Chinese occupation of his home.
Cardi B has sparked a debate on her parenting standards on social media this week after a number of Twitter users learned that her two-year-old daughter Kulture still uses a pacifier.
Per The Metro, the controversy was first fuelled when the 28-year-old Grammy award-winning rapper took to her official Instagram stories over the weekend.
Cardi shared a photo of herself and Kulture - whom she shares with fellow artist Offset - with her 83.1 million followers on the platform.
However, a number of people took umbrage with the fact that the youngster was sucking on a pacifier, and quickly took to social media to mom-shame Cardi for allowing her child to still be using one at two years old.
For instance, one outraged Twitter user wrote: "She needs to take that pacifier out her mouth. She [too] damn big to sucking on a damn pacifier as of @iamcardib she shouldn’t have never had it released on the radio or turned it up so loud for the entire neighborhood."
Another person wrote: "A kid your age shouldn’t be using a pacifier, Plain and simple! Do your job as a parent!! And knock that s*** off! Or is that something money back buy? SMH [sic]"
Someone else chimed in: "people are right you have to remove that pacifier from her mouth, because she is 2 and big and speaks very well, she is only damaging her upper teeth."
Another person wrote: "Yea but a grown a** kid with full set of teeth shouldn’t be sucking a pacifier. [sic]"
However, other social media users have defended Cardi’s parenting, and given examples of their own when letting toddlers use pacifiers had no adverse effect on their development.
For instance, one person wrote: "My baby was three years old going on 4 still on a pacifier nothing is wrong with her (speech, etc) she’s an straight A gifted student, all kids are different, never compare your kids to someone else’s!!!! [sic]"
Meanwhile, someone else wrote: "My pediatrician strongly suggested the pacifier because my daughter was a few weeks early and her eating technique needed work.
"The pacifier helped develop the muscles she needed to eat better. There really is a reason for it for some babies."
Another person chimed in: "kids grow in their own time frame... my twins got rid of the pacifier at different times and my son was late to the potty party but he all good now.. let kids live it has NOTHING to do with parenting. [sic]"
Another person wrote: "I regret taking my daughter's pacifier before she was ready.
"She has anxiety now and I wonder if I had given her more time to develop self-soothing coping mechanisms, would it have made a difference.
"Instead, I rushed b/c of her teeth when I could have always gotten braces later. [sic]"
Cardi B herself later addressed the controversy in a tweet of her own made on Tuesday, February 16.
In a statement to her 17.1 million Twitter followers, she wrote: "Some kids are not like YOUR KIDS! some kids don’t leave they paci fast or bottle or potty trained faster then others.
"Some kids are cool, calm some like to play and are super active that barely naps (mine) stop tellin moms what to do with their kids. All kids are different. [sic]"
So, is Cardi right to let her daughter use a pacifier or does she need to take it away? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
Last Tuesday, Brisbane mother Yarraka Bayles took to Facebook to live-stream her nine-year-old son, Quaden, crying uncontrollably after an incident with another pupil at his school left him wanting to take his own life.
The video - which was captioned: "This is the [impact] of bullying! I seriously don’t know what else to do" - shows the young inconsolable schoolboy saying: "Give me a knife, I'm going to kill myself."
Quaden was born with achondroplasia - the most common form of short-limbed Dwarfism - a condition that his mom says has led "constant bullying" from his peers.
You can watch the full video below (Warning: some viewers may find it upsetting):
Speaking to NITV News, Ms Bayles the incident that had left her son so upset:
"He wasn't even going to school yesterday until the principal rang and said the Brisbane Bullets [a basketball team] were coming. I went to pick him up and saw him with the kids and the Bullets on the basketball court. Me, my daughter, and my granddaughter were watching and then while they were lining up to get their singlets signed by the players, one of his classmates was patting him on the head and making references to his height.
"She was patting him on the head like a little puppy. My daughter and I looked at each other and we made signals to him to ask if you are right, and he was like 'No' and he was looking at me horrified, like 'Don't make a scene mom'.
Yarraka then explained how she felt "helpless" watching her young son breakdown in front of her:
"You could tell he was very uncomfortable but he was so good at trying to shrug things off, he doesn't want people to know how much it's affecting him, he's so strong and confident but it's times like these when you just see him crumble. It was just heartbreaking to watch, it made me feel helpless."
In response to the video, people all over the world have provided Quaden and his mom with an outpouring of support - including celebrities like Australian actor Hugh Jackman.
Taking to Twitter, Jackman shared a video to his 14.1 million followers, writing: "Quaden - you’ve got a friend in me."
Comedian Brad Williams, who also has dwarfism, even set up a GoFundMe account to send Quaden to Disneyland, writing:
"I’m setting up this GoFundMe to let Quaden know that bullying will not be tolerated, and that he is a wonderful human being who deserves joy. I want to fly Quaden and his mother to America, get them a nice hotel, and bring them to Disneyland."
As of this writing, the online fundraiser has received more than $440,000 in donations from kind strangers.
However, as reported by the New York Post, several conspiracy theories are now circulating comments sections all over social media regarding Quaden's story.
As you can see from the screenshots below, many people are claiming that nine-year-old schoolboy Quaden is actually an 18-year-old actor - and the entire "bullying" story is fake and a "scam".
[[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]]
[[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]]
In response to these claims, Quaden's mother has been sharing posts to both her personal account and Quaden's support page Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism that detail the 'truth' about her son.
One of these posts is a video by American rapper Cardi B (real name Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar), who live-streamed herself discussing Quaden's story to her 54 million Instagram followers.
Watch Cardi B speak out in defense of Quaden below:
"I really don't think he's lying about his age. And just because there's videos of him flossing money and acting all gangster, and acting all cool and everything, it doesn't mean that kids do not pick on him.
"Come on, just because he's acting a certain type of way and trying to be cool, his parents are probably trying to boost up his ego and make him act a certain type of way for Instagram.
"You motherf*****s be acting up for Instagram every single day. Y'all be acting like you've got money every day and y'all broke. Y'all b*****s act like y'all broke. Like ya got money and ya broke."
The video was shared to Quaden's Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism page, along with the caption: "Thanks @iamcardib. I love you! #CardiBKnowsWassup FACTS"
[[imagecaption|| Credit: Facebook]]
One image of Quaden that has been circulating social media shows the youngster standing in front of a giant "18" decoration - with many claiming this is "proof" Quaden has celebrated his 18th birthday.
However, this has been disproven by Mara Bayles, who confirmed that the party was for another person and Quaden was just attending.
As well as sharing the post above, Yarraka Bayles shared another Facebook post to the Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism page. This post was written by Mariana Lopez Ortiz, who claims to have known Quaden before Tuesday's video went viral. The post reads:
"Yes he's nine. Dwarfism is not a joke. Is he a model or actor?... so are a lot of kids... that doesn't mean s**t.
"His mother made the post because she was overwhelmed and enraged with the bullying. I understand her to the fullest. Never did she ask for money... Never did they say they were broke. Never did they ask for this."
The fact-checking website Snopes has also commented on these theories, saying:
"It might come as a surprise to some, but standing next to a number does not automatically change your age to that number. In that same vein, wearing a shirt reading 'Gucci' or standing next to an adult woman are not activities exclusively reserved for 18-year-olds."
Quaden has also appeared on television before. The video below shows a report from the Australian news station Studio 10 featuring then four-year-old Quaden helping to raise awareness of dwarfism.
"While one may be able to argue that 9-year-old Quaden looks like he’s 18, it’s a bit more difficult to buy the argument that the 4-year-old in the above-displayed video is actually 13."
The fact-checking website added:
"Yarraka Bayles, Quaden’s mother, has posted dozens of pictures of him over the years to her social media accounts. In 2012, she shared a series of photographs that showed her infant son on the beach. Bayles commented on those photographs that her son was going on 15 months old."
In it, Owens lambasted the artist's performance as overly-sexual and inappropriate, stating: "Parents should be terrified that this is the direction that our society is heading toward.
She continued: "Again, we are weakening America… We are setting the stage, and it feels like we are looking at corrosion like we are about to see the end of an empire."
One criticism Cardi has repeatedly faced is that her music is not suitable for children, especially young girls.
This has been provoked by a video the rapper posted to her Instagram Stories back in January, which saw Cardi turning off a video of her NSFW song when her two-year-old daughter Kulture entered the room from behind her.
A number of people were surprised to learn that Cardi isn't willing to let her own daughter hear her own lyrics, and they were even more shocked when she defended censoring them from her child in a tweet made on January 5.
The rapper tweeted: "I don’t make music for kids I make music for adults. Parents are responsible on what their children listen to or see. I’m a very sexual person but not around my child just like every other parent should be. [sic]"
One fan wasn't impressed by Cardi's perceived hypocrisy then took to the comments of one of the rapper's most recent posts to make their feelings known.
Credit: Instagram
The commenter wrote: "But how is this she empowering women with her music but doesn't let her daughter listen?? Don't you wanna empower your daughter also?? [sic]"
Credit: Instagram/@iamcardib
In response to this, Cardi herself then replied in the comments: "My daughter doesn't need to listen to music to be empowered neither should your children.
"The only way to empower your kids is by talking to them, boost their confidence and making sure they get a good education.
"I never ever said that WAP was made to empower women, I'm just a freaky person and this is not the first sex song ever made. Stop expecting celebs to raise your kids."
Cardi doubled-down on her defense of her Grammys performance in a recent tweet, in which she wrote: "The Grammies are PG. That means parental guidance. Meaning is your job like it is to mine to my child to monitor what they watch my performance was around 10 pm on a Sunday.
"Your child should be in bed ready for school the next day why are they up watching Wap? [sic]"
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