PAIGE LAYLE CONTROVERSY | The Time I Got Cancelled | Surviving Cancel Culture

[@CB-jg6xg]

“You’ll never be able to adequately explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you” one of my favourite quotes

[@isabellemyzer1807]

My life exactly

[@SilenzioDiEsistenza]

or as the great sagan said: the universe is not obligated to make sense to YOU ! what to say about particular individuals, they are enough unto themselves

[@j_me]

It's honestly so gross and sad that anyone in the autistic community turned on her, like do we not pride ourselves on being somewhat logical and only doing/believing things when there's evidence? I have been following Paige for at least 2 years, and tbh I had never heard of this 'scandal' until now, so it kind of makes me think that it has to be a small and vocal minority that was/is directing hate towards her

[@leikfroakies]

​@@j_me Nah, I remember this. It was pretty big and got pretty vile

[@sciencenotsrigma]

So extremely true! I’ve definitely dealt with a lot of those people.

[@gabeangel8104]

If someone says you did something wrong but they refuse to tell you what it is that you've actually done then chances are that they are just being toxic, especially if they are making you beg and jump through hoops to their every demand to try to earn forgiveness. My heart broke for you watching this because it's so obvious that you just got a majorly screwed over. I'm so sorry you went through this

[@AlienPuppyGames]

This 💯 this whole thing feels like bullying under the guise of social justice. Probably from a place of jealousy. Love you, Paige, sorry you went through this and I'm glad you're standing up for yourself

[@nicolesouza8]

This so much. It's happened to me countless times. "I shouldn't have to tell you", like, I'm not Professor Charles Xavier, I can't read minds.

[@maddydaniels9762]

Agree, she was bullied and taken advantage of.

[@roxyheart7874]

I actually started watching your channel because I saw stuff about the controversy. I am autistic white and native American. I was confused about the whole thing when I saw some videos about it and have watched your content and have seen that you were trying your best as a human and creator. I really feel for you because I know what it’s like to not feel understood and to be confused about things when somebody says that you’ve done something wrong and you just don’t know what it is. They’re not telling you what it is and it’s so frustrating and so upsetting to feel Misunderstood and not heard. No one deserves that and it’s gaslighting to not show you exactly where you went wrong and did or said the wrong thing. I believe you. I BELIEVE YOU PAIGE LAYLE. I am so sorry you are going through this. I have thought about making content about my life and about the fact that I have autism and ADHD and Ehlers Danlos syndrome and right here is an example of why I don’t think I would be able to handle it. I have been online long enough to know some people on the internet like to hurt people And bully like they actually enjoy it. I have had to quit my job because of it. I honestly have people be mean to me just random strangers out in public all the time because maybe I did a socially wrong thing but it’s not like anyone ever tells me what I’ve done and people are just mean to me all the time, so having it happen on both fronts I don’t think I would be able to mentally handle as I am very sick. I know that there are amazing people out there on the Internet that would be supportive of me, but whatever percentage of people out there that would possibly be mean to me would destroy me mentally if they came after me. That is honestly what is preventing me from making a channel. I’m dealing with a lot. I need to go to the Mayo clinic I haven’t worked in five years and I feel like social media would be a great way for me to somehow find people that would be willing to help me out or support me in some sort of way. But I’m just too terrified. I’ve been bullied anymore than I already have been in life and continue to be. Everyone makes mistakes but no one is there mistakes. No one is the one bad thing they did. People are so much more dynamic than that. You deserve to be believed, like I deserve to be believed, and everyone deserves to be believed. Just now that there are good people out there they support you and appreciate your content so much. ❤ I would never lie to you or be manipulative because I just don’t do that to my friends. I would never post something bad that they did online. I’m just so sorry. You are literally going through my worst fear about being online. And I know the toll it takes. I can’t make it better for you but I wish I could. The least I can do is tell you I care and I understand and you are not alone people love you are you are believed. ❤

[@dewdrop3009]

This is crazy. I'm african American with some traces of Native American and what did youdo that was inherently racist or was pro white supremacy... Nothing... And if the organization that you formerly wanted to support, did do those negative actions, but you cut ties with supporting the company then you did your part and never did anything to be labeled as racist ir a white supremacist. The way they manipulated you and guilt tripped you over this is sickening. I am so sorry that this happened to you, it really pisses me off

[@cda6590]

As a white guy who happens to have a bit of a special interest in certain aspects of the Civil Rights Movement and the astonishing individuals behind it, my autism has gotten me into *many* race-based conversations with other Americans and I have *only* ever been called racists by other white people. I've even had open disagreements with black Americans about race-based topics and they *still* didn't even come close to pulling the race card. Black-on-black violence is certainly a bigger problem in America, but white-on-white instances like the ones I've experienced aren't really ever known about. I know Paige's experiences may have been different, but I would wager quite a bit that those individuals make up a small percentage of how your rational and level-headed American PoC--autistic or not--is going to react. Still, thank you for speaking up, as it is always refreshing to hear stories like this only to be able to scroll down and see *multiple* black individuals respond with compassion and competency.

[@KattReen]

Yeah, very strange to ask her to give them control of her social media. That is not a reasonable thing to ask. But, we don't know the other side's perspective, and are only getting what went down filtered through Paige. I know she tries to be fair, and I see her as a decent individual, but when we feel wronged by others(which I think she does), we can unconsciously frame events in a way that is less charitable towards them when retelling a story. I think that to a degree, a lot of this is misunderstanding, and if the other party does not feel like elaborating on how they feel wronged there's not much to do but to move on.

[@WitchPaper1]

@@KattReenthis was a really common thing during that time.

[@sciencenotsrigma]

I agree…I’m indigenous.

[@jaztee5422]

I am a woman of colour, and started following you as my daughter is autistic. You give me hope, that my daughter will be ohkay when she grows up as she is only 4. I never got racist vibes from you, only genuine and honest content. Keep being you, you’re amazing and keep doing what makes you happy. You’re not in the wrong for being taken advantage of. Sending support and encouragement all the way from New Zealand 🙂 Thank you for helping me learn about autism

[@sketchpup5718]

heyyy fellow nzlander here!!

[@AstridSouthSea]

Me too!

[@Jas-zzz]

As another woman of color I agree . Only good vibes received from Paige💜

[@Butterjeni]

Ayyy kiwis in the chat that’s cooool!!! - kiwi also

[@angelanice]

What's crazy to me is this is the first I've heard of this. I have never thought you were racist nor would I have believed anyone saying you're racist without any evidence.

[@turoni314]

This

[@lesliekarl3594]

Same for me!

[@RI0Tkitty]

Same!

[@catz5377]

Same. I had no idea this happened and I feel for Paige because I completely understand the autistic experience of other people just completely misconstruing your words or meaning and manipulating and lying to you when you thought they were being genuine before.

[@dustywolf9595]

Same same

[@simmerscrossing]

I remember this. The reason I never disengaged with your content during the debacle is because I couldn’t find what you actually did. I would go to one person’s page and they would direct everyone to another person’s page saying, “they can explain this better.” But nobody ended up explaining anything. I wasn’t just gonna unfollow you/believe everyone else who thought it was the “right” thing to do. (Honestly a bunch of virtue signaling) I think the right thing to do is make decisions yourself, as informed as you can be, and to hurt the least amount of people. You didn’t seem to actually hurt anyone.

[@SuperSuperspoof]

The “they can explain this better” is such a great example of cancel culture being lazy.

[@PolarBearFromNY]

​@@SuperSuperspoofor just blatant misinformation

[@IceCreamSplat]

Yeah same, when I saw some people actually attempt to explain it their reasoning was that she's racist bc she doesn't consider black autistic experiences? But how is she supposed to do that when her content only focuses on herself and her experiences and she's in fact, not black...

[@Karragh]

I think a very good rule of thumb in general is that if someone is getting cancelled and, when you try to figure out what they did, it is hard to find any answers, then almost definitely the cancellation is bs based on nothing or people making mountains out of such a small molehill that they know they can't admit why they're doing it without looking ridiculous.

[@soyis_boyis]

I'm always so scared of how nuance disappears on the internet. I can't believe you made it through this honestly with the confidence to keep posting and doing what you're doing. Thanks for everything you've done for my life, and just keep fuckin living the best life ya can.

[@LunarGlowMedia]

I'm a black autistic man and I haven't ever heard anything that makes me think you're a racist, or even hold racist viewpoints. I spent a few minutes trying to find the other perspectives, and what I found was pretty weak. Honestly looks like a big Nothing Burger to me. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@cda6590]

I'm actually looking up things like "paige layle racism" and coming up empty-handed. Am I typing a no-no word into the algorithm or is the evidence really just that skimpy?

[@nadineo1983]

I didn't find anything either ​@@cda6590

[@AMD627]

​@@cda6590 It's not on KZbin but on TikTok and a little bit on X. I also saw some white people accusing her of being racist, both in comments and videos.

[@LunarGlowMedia]

@@cda6590 Yeah, I was working while I listened to this and didn't have time to really do a good look. I got up this morning and decided to spend a good 10 minutes looking and the only thing I found was ONE black creator who never really said what the issue was. If Paige had said something that was actually awful you best believe that SOMEBODY in the group chat would have taken a screen shot. It's shit like this that makes people not take credible accusations seriously. It's shit like this that pushes white creators further from diversity and inclusivity because they have to jump through flaming hoops while doing hand stands just to walk on eggshells while the racists would welcome her with open arms and warm cookies. It's wild that people don't seem to understand this.

[@bendo9162]

@@cda6590 The only thing outside of TikTok and some vague things on X that might be related to the topic is an article by Maya Saxe on Medium titled "the downfall of paige layle: no, being disabled won’t exempt you from being racist" (I am not sure, if I can post the link directly here). To me, the part about racism described there does not seem like a very convincing case and more like a huge mismatch of expectations mixed with (taken from Paige's video here) a lot of miscommunication. I cannot say however whether there is more to the story that is not explicitly mentioned in the article.

[@jonm4206]

Just a heads up, when you sit off to the left of your microphone and its in stereo mode your voice is all in the left side of headphones. That Shure mic probably has a knob you can turn to set it to Mono mode so that it will record the audio to both sides. (Or else your editing software probably has a setting somewhere, but the mic is probably easier!) If anyone else is bothered by this, in windows 11 you can click the speaker symbol at the bottom right by the time of day, click select a sound source, click more volume settings, and click the Mono Audio switch to ON. When you're done with that turn it back to off so you can get stereo for music and things again.

[@jonm4206]

Also great video, I should mention that as well I supopse :)

[@spritzup2312]

Omg thank you for saying this, I thought my phone was broken 😂

[@MarieJFE]

Oh thanks for writing that! Thought I had to go buy a new headset!

[@SynkzMusic]

I literally made this mono after the first 10 seconds bro I hate when audio only comes from one earbud

[@Lozzy-h6m]

I’ve just leant something new today!

[@VermisTerrae]

This really, really, really puts that community post you made about wanting to leave social media into perspective. What an awful thing to experience. It's one thing to have someone who hates you, but it's a whole other kind of trauma to have your friends and community disown you simply because they don't want to get bullied either. Wishing you the very best going forward, however you choose to live your life.

[@rachelotremba8100]

I was thinking about that community post the whole time I was watching this video too. I hope Paige is okay.

[@lolnamelollastname9788]

Good on them for doing that!

[@Dani.P.F.]

And by the way, this is slander. Which can be, as far as I know, a legal issue. Considering you actually experienced loss of income and social life/status. So, defending yourself and sharing the truth via screenshot is more than acceptable. Don't let them keep you quiet. Speak your truth!

[@stupidben999]

She needs to get an attorney to sort it out.

[@LunarGlowMedia]

The problem with the defamation/slander angle is that she would have to PROVE that they knew what they were saying was false or that they had reckless regard for whether it was true or not, and that is HARD. It's about intent, and nobody REALLY know the intent but the accused defamer.

[@KattReen]

Dear children on the internet. I love you, but please stop telling people to sue others over the pettiest things. Law suits are expensive, and not every case won equals profit. Most of this is not slander, and I don't think you want to actually live in a version of the world where white people could sue any black person who calls them racist based on vibes and lived experience rather than a dossier of hard proof. Also, it has not damaged her reputation. None of us knew about this until SHE brought it up, and she is sharing her perspective in a way that makes her look good and them look crazy regardless of if that was intentional or not. We're only getting one perspective here, it's very possible that the other side is genuinely hurt and angered. They might even have good reason to feel the way that the do. Since they don't feel like sharing in detail, it's not for us to know I guess. Paige seems like a decent person to me, but don't take every word as gospel from people online. As they say, there's three sides to every story. Two of them are perspective and the third one is the truth.

[@thesilverblack708]

@@KattReen ""None of us knew about this until SHE brought it up, and she is sharing her perspective in a way that makes her look good and them look crazy regardless of if that was intentional or not."" That is simply not true. I remember the scenario when it first happened. It was a counter charity event to Mark Rober's Color the Spectrum event which had been widely criticized by autistic people all over when it was first announced back in April 2021. When the controversy around ASAN was brought to light. EVERYONE within the autistic space on TikTok was talking about it. And what Paige is saying here is true: Too many of the creators were being intentionally obtuse about exactly what Paige and organizer said. And refused to elaborate under the guise of it being: Emotional trauma. It's the equivalent of saying "Do your own research" whenever you get into an argument with someone who keeps making false claims in a comments section. I also know who's she's referring to about the content creator who constantly brought up how he was "tokanized" by Paige and then tried be friends with her again while also manipulating her. That content creator was called out last year for sexually harassing a large Autistic content creator, by unsolicidly sending her sexually explicit objects in the mail to her. Something she was violated by, because he portrayed himself as being a friend to her. And it was later discovered he did this to other girls on TikTok. So I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying "be friends with her again" to do this to make a move on Paige. And yes, it did indeed ruin her reputation. She lost major sponsorship deals because of the controversy. And now so many other autistic TikTok creators refuse to work with her now. And will take any opportunity they can to dunk on her, even referencing this event in the past. Worst of all though, is the claim that one of the initial accusers tried to strong-arm Paige's password to her personal account under threat of being labelled a racist. That's not just some bully tactic, that's a felony. Blackmail. An offence that can land someone in prison. Even if Paige doesn't get anything out of that, a crime like that must NEVER go unpunished.

[@Dani.P.F.]

​​@@KattReen1. I'm not a child. 2. Did you even watch the video? Did you not hear her talk about the loss of sponsorships, money, social life, reputation? Did you not hear her talk about the missing evidence against her? Did you not hear her talk about the harassment, bullying and things that could be considered threats? Sounds like slander to me. 3. I did not say that she should seek legal advice. I simply stated what I believe to be a fact. What she does with it is her decision.

[@SomeoneSomewhere42069]

"I'm Autistic, Now What?" is a channel who openly supports you and shouts you out

[@realpaigelayle]

Yknow what? And I’m really ashamed of myself and it’s embarrassing. But because I’ve seen my face in some of their thumbnails, and I’m so used to autistic creators making hate videos about me, I have not watched any of their videos. 😔 that will change now.

[@SomeoneSomewhere42069]

@@realpaigelayle That's entirely valid dude, no need to be ashamed od yourself! Rejection sensitivity can be R O U G H 😩 I'm sorry you went through all that! Shit's traumatizing 🥲

[@carleekaysen93]

@@realpaigelayleMeg is the sweetest, you guys are my top two favorite KZbinrs and I’m so happy to see you’re giving her a listen 🥰

[@nozhki-busha]

@@realpaigelayle Please do, Meg has mentioned you in some videos but its never negative. You two should have a chat sometime, a collab would be great :)

[@PolarBearFromNY]

​@@realpaigelayle I don't think it's as bad as you're anticipating it to be. I looked up "Paige layle controversy" and didn't see much of anything at all. I think, at least on KZbin, the heat has died down. It's good that you got all of that out into the ether tho. Hopefully you can find the energy to make more happy/informative videos.

[@fluffypotatocow]

The people in these comments so far feel so kind and safe and it makes me regain faith in humanity, its kinda bringing me to tears because ive been in a situation similar to this one (obviously not to the same degree) and its such a horrific experience where suddenly everyone i knew hated me and was calling me names and i didnt even know what i did wrong, turns out there wasn’t anything, but seeing this comment section being so uplifting and safe is something so healing to my soul because its times like that that truly make you question humanity.. thank you all for bringing so much kindness into this community

[@ujustgotpwned2008]

The screenshots thing really makes me side with Paige on this one; if there were screenshots they would have been uploaded to Twitter a million times over. They aren't all over Twitter/being dissected on TikTok because there's nothing to show. It feels like they were parasites; they knew that generating drama would get them more viewers, climbing over you to get further up TikTok mountain.

[@Embc03]

If the accusers don’t provide evidence and just make videos shit talking you, then that’s a huge sign that you were not in the wrong. Sounds like an attention grab to me - if someone is ‘cancelable’ it is done with hard evidence - people are hella sheep minded on the internet unfortunately

[@BilliesCraftRoom]

Imho, perhaps the whole thing was a misunderstanding, but instead of discussing it quietly, the other party used social media in a negative way, and feels like it rapidly turned into gaslighting for likes. Anyone else think this too? Love you Paige.

[@thesilverblack708]

Whoa whoa whoa ... Some of these people demanded that you hand over your account password to them over claiming you were a white supremacist? That's blackmail. And it's a felony. I know you didn't want to name names. But those people need to be called out, because that is dangerous behaviour that should not go unpunished.

[@j-ivey]

So dangerous and toxic…

[@cc_snipergirl]

Yeah, like that right there was the motive. It had nothing to do with race. They just wanted her much larger platform for themselves without putting in the work. And then they piggybacked off of her fame when she didn't give them what they wanted

[@Pitway_1.0]

I sense a pattern I can't understand even tho I've witnessed it so much. Vulnerable people hurt/manipulated/gaslighted by predatory behaving people. I can't understand why this happens so much. Same with violence in general. I have no clue why, it's beyond any logic I can wrap my head around, like an unexplainable singularity. It's just what it is, and it sucks, and it blows my mind. PS : I found out my autism because of you (not only because of you obviously), and let me tell you : you greatly contributed to me avoiding ending my life and getting the support I needed. So yes, you did a great job in my opinion, thank you and much love from France.

[@DeadVoxel]

Because toxic people LOVE preying upon vulnerable people, they want to feel superior over them and boost their own self-esteem. Unfortunately. Literally predator behavior, just like how animals prey upon more vulnerable ones

[@cda6590]

Unfortunately, as per the definition of the word 'predator,' the individuals who will react most swiftly and ruthlessly to the sight of vulnerability displayed by the vulnerable will be predators. The internet amplifies this in the same way that it amplifies our ability to communicate with like-minded individuals around the world. It is an indifferent tool, but nonetheless a tool that predators can very easily utilize towards their predatory ends.

[@Pitway_1.0]

@@cda6590 What I don't get is why "predatory" is a thing. I can't understand why some people are like that, I don't see the goal, nor do I see for what practical reason this aspect developped in humans. Maybe it is but an inadapted remainder of predatory animal instincts carried over with evolution ... We lost our tails, it might be time to lose some other stuff.

[@cda6590]

@@Pitway_1.0 Well this is just a shot in the dark, but I'm gonna say the reason why it's so baffling to you is because you're an AFAB who is on the spectrum and some combination of experiencing the consequences of trauma coupled with a tendency towards hyper-empathetic responses precludes you from the ability to cognitively rationalize behaving in a way that is essentially antithetical to empathy.

[@Pitway_1.0]

@@cda6590 That's fair shot I'd say. Doesn't solve my issue with it, but my question probably won't find a satisfying (to me) answer anyways. Even tho I'm not an AFAB, but that is not really important to me.

[@booker5606]

This was something that took a good many years to click as an autistic creator in leftist spaces myself- some stuff is not actually about doing better and fostering understanding. It’s theater for people who still don’t really understand the nuances of culture and communication. A lot of young people- whether that be young in age or young to developing concepts of social justice- lack a lot of life experience and don’t really understand how to interpret situations accurately. They have strong emotions and passion for change, but really rudimentary tools. So like, if all someone has is a hammer… What also sucks is learning that some people use social justice in bad faith. People who are bullies, manipulators, people who want to hurt people- they learn that others can be controlled through tapping into the inherent guilt and trauma embedded in our society through these channels. It’s a hard lesson to learn and I’m thankful you’re sharing your experience- I’m only 15 minutes in and taking it slow because I had my own similar experiences and the feelings are intense. I wish you all the best and hope you are finding friends who have further developed their understanding of life.

[@V1sual3y3z]

very well put. as an old who has been haunting leftist online spaces for decades (at this point), there are levels to understanding and competency.

[@joepiekl]

Yep. Haven't watched the video yet, but your post reminds me of So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson. He has a great Ted Talk where he focuses mostly on the shaming of Justine Sacco for an ill-advised, but deliberately misunderstood 'racist' joke.

[@derunfassbarebielecki]

This issue is also that society has shifted strong to the right. This allowed fascistoid right winged ideals to leak into the left wing. Labels are trendy right now, a new form of classism. Progress is no more, the only thing important is to be better than other classes.

[@jaord530]

This comment is so wise and a fantastic summation! Spot on.

[@Its_Asteria]

I had to live through a similar situation to Paige just not to the same level since I'm not a creator myself. But at 20 I was part of a very toxic discord group that contained a lot of the types of people you mention. Bullies using their statuses to hurt others. And the unfortunate thing was the group was meant to be a spot for everyone of some form of minority, wether it be adhd, autism, trans, black, white, Asian, etc. And there was just constant infighting and accusations of behaviors and actions that didn't even happen. Or taking something someone did or said out of context. Putting down others voices simply because they didn't experience the same level of struggle as yourself. It's hard to fully explain without it sounding out of context. But after that experience, and losing a close friend who was also a target of that behavior, and I was so convince that friend was bad simply because others told me they were any that this friend hurt them. So in turn I didn't want to hurt them too. When in reality I hurt my friend. The experience lead to a very weird shift in my behavior and how I presented myself. My identity died, self hatred sprouted. Etc. Finally I've gotten to a point where I don't care what other people think. And I'll fight for the rights of all people, but I don't want to be bullied or pushed around or used, in the name of those justices either. I don't know if this came out correctly. But I wanted to provide context for how I went through this difficult lesson myself

[@Cazu_Orddu_Medea]

This thing seems so toxic. Don't let other people gaslight you. Toxicity knows no race. This feels so Tumblr.

[@miracakesanim]

Understatement of the year, but that really sucks. You didn't deserve that. I'm glad you're getting this off your chest and I hope it helps you heal.

[@miracakesanim]

"You don't gotta burn the bridge" That lines fire

[@a_mused00]

Paige, This is the second story I've heard about 2 POC autistic creators matching this description, bullying other autistic creators off the platform, by slandering them publicly and calling them r4c!st when they didn't do much of anything. I'm concerned that these 2 creators are doing this on purpose. If you see FURTHER controversy stemming from these individuals, it may be necessary to name them - just to stop the bullying.

[@rust-2450]

Who are they?

[@thetonytaye]

Paige said specifically she doesn’t want us spreading negativity their way. Let’s respect that.

[@innovationsanonymous8841]

Looks like it's pretty easy info to find "Paige Layle racism controversy". But it looks like this is mostly a Tik Tok issue, I don't have the app and IDC enough. The situation is dumb and it's contained to a dumb platform

[@LoveLearnShareGrow]

@@innovationsanonymous8841 Tiktok isn't a dumb platform. It helped me figure out I'm autistic, just as KZbin helped me figure out I have ADHD before that. They're just different platforms with different pros and cons.

[@mellsc9412]

This sounds so traumatizing! As a neurodivergent person I spend 90% of my social interactions terrified of hurting someone on accident. I am only able to maintain friendships with people who will tell me if I mess up. I work hard to be a good person and come across right, but I can’t always get it right. I want to know when I mess up and how so that I can make things right and learn

[@j-ivey]

I’m so sorry that you were betrayed by “friends” and bullied publicly. As a late-diagnosed autistic person, I’m glad you’re speaking out and listening to your body in this.

[@summerchild_]

Trying to get someone's passwords and wanting to control their social media is MENTAL.

[@cc_snipergirl]

It's opportunistic. They looked at the situation and saw dollar signs

[@thetonytaye]

I know it’s a small ask, but something I appreciate about this video is that you start it by telling your fans not to go after the other people involved in this situation. I’ve been in your base long enough to see the types of things your defenders say to some of your critics in your name, and I’m glad that you’re making it clear right out the gate that you don’t stand for that BS.

[@m.t.cronin2828]

Discovering that people will throw you under the bus for personal gain is a difficult lesson to learn and accept. Exploring as you are the real causes as they relate to yourself and others and the proper way to grow and learn is definitely something to be proud of. Thank you for being such a wonderful, caring person

[@tajos703]

I’m glad that you brought attention to this Paige. I understand that you want to support your friends & their potential traumas. It is important for us to recognize however, that everyone has rights & deserves respect. It does sound possible that some actions were misguided by some parties that were involved, & while we navigate supporting those who experience or have experienced traumas by the hands of others, it isn’t helpful to wound those that wish to help. We are all human & ultimately let us come from caring for one another. Otherwise we are not better than the next, or in some ways, the last. Thank you for speaking up.

[@GoodTarget_]

Paige, you saved my kids life. I watched that video, of when a boy scaped and was found dead in a lake around the same date when the same thing happened in my city. The boy who died here, shared the same therapists as my son. And died in the same university where my son ran away once before. My son always eloped, he's been in therapy since 1.5yo. No one ever cared about showing how dangerous that was. No one ever helped me deal with the situation. The video showed me that one day, the last time I was gonna see my son alive was him running away. One day, shortly after that video, he disappeared in a school near a very busy street. I called security, they closed the building, got everyone looking for him. Those were the longest 10 or 20 minutes of my life. We all running and calling, we found him. He was alone, distracted in one of the classrooms. I had a conversation with him on our way home. he was six at the time. I talked about the video, the event, the guards looking for him, showed statistics. Kid cried for 2 days. Never eloped again. Thanks. Do not stop helping us.

[@Anarchistyogi]

Ahhh I really feel for you in the confusion about what you did wrong and thinking you were friends with people who turned on you, and never being able to fix anything or figure out what happened. It was like a trip back to my teens and 20s, except I had the privilege of just being a regular private person. What I see of you in your content is a woman who is thorough, thoughtful and very considerate and charitable to others. I always learn a lot and feel less alone. You for sure did not deserve any of the abuse and manipulation that happened to you. It can be really hard to imagine the lengths some people will go through to hurt and manipulate us.

[@davidgonzales9039]

Alot of people just regurgitate talking points and bs online. Im struggling with being misunderstood once again today IRL, I know your struggle.

[@NickS-m3h]

the second the mob categorizes someone as "problematic" they will garble and ramble and throw everything at it to attempt to discredit the person. There is absolutely nothing someone could say or do to make them happy once they decide they're in the wrong. It's absolute derangement. The best thing to do in situations like this is to decide not to care and move on. We know our nature inside. We know inside whether or not we are prejudice/racist/a bad person, etc,

[@lajourdanne]

I’m sorry to hear about your experience Paige. This sounds like when people learn sociology/psychology/cultural buzzwords but don't take the time to learn the meaning. Then weaponized it for clout. I can't say if what you did was right or wrong because I wasn't there but BIPOC people don't have the right to talk on behalf of all BIPOC people. Women do not get to talk on behalf of all women, and Autistic people do not get to talk on behalf of all Autistic people. To assume otherwise demonstrates internalized racism, sexism, ableism. No one individual gets to redefine these terms that have decades/hundreds of years of literature and research behind them for their own selfish gains. And this whole “cancelation” REEKS of ableism. Refusing to use accessible language to explain where you went wrong and then demanding you apologize is just ableist, period.

[@MrStyles784]

The biggest red flag to me is when they demanded access to her accounts to post on her behalf

[@ujustgotpwned2008]

25:16 righteous Canadian rage

[@nadineo1983]

Im a mom to a diagnosed 2 year old autistic girl. because of you, i learned so much about how bad ABA can be. You launched me into the autistic creator sphere and now i am advocting for my daughter with information that you provided. I have no idea about any of the social media stuff with you but, i do know you have informed me so much about autism for my baby. I have sent my son who is a biracial 20 year old boy your videos and he has related to things you have said SO much. You have helped him understand that he most likey is autistic. I am 41 and am a leftist. I understand that leftists expect perfect advocacy. Im not just talking about bipoc. Im talking about leftists needing perfection and no one agrees on how to be a leftists and it gets messy. And perfection is the enemy of the good.

[@nomikkh]

"perfection is the enemy of the good" YESSSS, nailed it!

[@TheRedReid]

I've had something kinda similar happen to me. It's really difficult when people weaponize something you care about against you in bad faith. I don't know anything about this issue besides what you've said in this video, but I'm glad you're not letting the trauma turn you away from being anti-racist and being an autism advocate/educator. You've helped so many of us. Thank you.

[@NFSMAN50]

I'm a man of color, and i've always enjoyed your videos, honestly people just want to complain about the littlelist things ever nowadays. People are just too sensitive and soft nowadays about everything. Im not on tiktok at all, but thats just how I view it. Much respect to you for sticking to your truth Paige, you are a good person and a sweet wholesome lady!! Never let toxic people bring you down!

[@leikfroakies]

This wasn't people being too sensitive, it was active harassment. If you go deeper into leftist political circles you find a lot of people like this who weaponise fake social justice as a form of harassment

[@TheFireDivine]

Unfortunately, our autism community has been an echo chamber for people who have become obsessed with what is or isn’t offensive.

[@xothisttv8625]

i've been following you for a few years and this is definitely the first time i've heard about any of this. i think the types of people who you are trying to reach and help aren't attracted to the type of social media drama that you have been a victim of. keep doing the good work, you are appreciated.

[@cherrycordial4180]

I always thought you did your best to handle it professionally and compasionately. When nothing was good enough; when nothing appeased the other side, it became suspicious. They used you for talking points; to create outrage, gain clout, etc. I would have done and felt and acted the same as you. You were brave to keep coming back and posting after that and I respect and admire the courage it takes to do that, including bringing it all up again in this video. Trust your instincts. You did nothing wrong. You were right then. You're right now. You're a good person.

[@katoe908]

I’ve been following you for a long time and I actually remember this now that you’ve spoken about it again. I remember being completely confused and nobody could explain what happened in a way that actually warranted the extreme reactions. Being autistic comes with an urge to try to constantly explain ourselves, with an inability to let things like this go. being misunderstood, especially when we feel like the people misunderstanding us are doing so maliciously, is excruciating.

[@NymphaeaDreams]

I am SO sorry you had to go through this. Even bullying in private groups is traumatic. I've gotten CPTSD just from the drama of groups having a fall out. I cannot imagine how hard it is when those people have public platforms and actively trying to ruin your image. This is a very big problem in the social shifts in the Western world where people are just allowed to demonize someone based on opinions or appearances or even just accusations. It's awful, it's harmful, and it's downright evil. I'm glad you chose to keep going and just keep to yourself. I've pretty much gone the same route myself and chosen to do everything online solo because there's no way to know who you can trust. People just don't have my interests in mind so might as well not involve others.

[@studiotom]

I am hurting, but most definitely NOT because of you - quite the opposite!! You help make sense out of some very confusing things and you put things into a more reliable perspective, which is very helpful for me. I’m so sorry you had to endure what you went through, but I’m glad that you’re able to learn and grow in a positive way from it. Thank you for being anti-racism, for being such a caring person, and for speaking out against this awful kind of performative bullying. I want you to know that I love and appreciate you very, very much, and I know that you have a good heart, regardless of what kind of BS some people might feel the need to say about you. And I know that you are loved and valued by so many others as well, because you do so much that helps so many people in so many ways. Thank you!!! ❤️

[@kelibarrus2408]

I appreciate that you’re willing to come back ❤ I’ve missed you, and I’m sorry you’ve gone through something so harmful. I’m glad to see you, and heartbroken over this whole thing! (Side note I was just wondering what was happening with you a couple days ago) sending love and healing vibes your way ❤❤

[@kelibarrus2408]

Also I’m loving the body art 🪴

[@manisummer8948]

I can remember this. And I remember feeling so angry for you. I remember that they were just shit-talking you, and not understanding what their problem was. Im so sorry that you had to go through this. Please just be yourself and continue making those great videos that you make!

[@robinknight2251]

I really wish I didn't understand what it feels like to have supposedly done something and not understand what I did wrong and have people ganging up on you. Unfortunately, more than once in my lifetime I have experienced being manipulated and gaslit into situations. Rumours about things that I have done that caused visceral hatred in people. Unfortunately, autistic people tend to see the best in others and our empathy is both a blessing and a curse.

[@adriagalvarez]

Wow.... Thank you for the video and I'm so sorry you had such a painful lesson. I'm so glad you are still here and I hope you stay around and keep posting. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! for putting yourself out here like this and doing what is right for you and standing up for yourself. Your comment about "I'm autistic and yes I expect that when people talk to me they are telling me the truth" feels like you ripped it from my soul. I'm 51 and just learned a few years ago that I am autistic and I'm so grateful for creators like you that not only help me learn about autism, but also give me a chance to look back at different parts of my life and realize, "OMG! That's what was happening!" I've learned so much compassion for others, but also for myself after watching your videos. Thank you so much

[@CoreenMontagna]

I’m an AuDHDer, and have been subscribed for a while. I found your videos really useful to me. You’ve said things I don’t agree with, but it’s never been related to racism. I think the times I’ve disagreed with you were just when i felt you were maybe over generalizing about autistic people, but that’s not some huge sin.

[@Skatche]

It's worth remembering how recently it was that torture and execution were popular public spectacles. The law's changed, but people haven't much.

[@Halfendymion]

France was still using the guillotine by the time the Star Wars movies were being released

[@morgantseasrant1948]

People don’t realize that they are participating in scapegoating. A exstremly violent form of it against an autistic individual in this situation. Not one person stoped for a moment and went… am i stealing the voice of another minority. All they saw was someone to put their performance of guilt on them.

[@morgantseasrant1948]

(I think the more horrifying stories of things like this are going to be like how we read about the more horrifying accounts of 1890-1975 linch-xing)

[@fancydeer]

which puts into perspective how much white folks have to learn. but this mess was madness, taking advantage of a vulnerable person and blaming her race and a mistake she said then gaslighting her into thinking she's racist is a horrible thing to do. we're all people who deserve a chance to learn.

[@Skatche]

@@fancydeer Public executions are not a white phenomenon. They have been practiced the world over.

[@Sealoctopus]

Accusing someone of hurting you, and then not being able to specify how you hurt them, but still wanting them to apologize and feel guilty, is gaslighting.

[@Suziesweetworld]

There’s a concept that really resonates with this sort of situation - soft on people, hard on systems. People can’t keep embarking on undeserved harassment campaigns in the name of social Justice and anti racism. It helps no one. Especially when it’s someone like you who is clearly willing to listen and understand. If someone is criticizing you for nonspecific faults and jumps directly to public call outs, they’re don’t actually want to see you do better. They’re just being malicious and using you as a scapegoat for all of their frustrations. It’s utterly insane to direct this amount of rage towards an individual as though that will remedy systemic racism at all

[@misskelevra]

Well spoken 👏

[@Rabenov-wq8qy2qg5t]

I think you were a victim of fraud, they wanted to capitalize on you and take advantage of you. You're handling the situation correctly. But if necessary, I would seek advice from a lawyer.

[@bedhead-studio]

Thank you so much for speaking about this. There is always room to grow, but the people who point fingers at others instead of at themselves are the people who need the most work.

[@davidgonzales9039]

Its been awhile since a saw a video of yours, they make me feel normal. Thank you.

[@Ninushka-mi2rg]

I'm glad you stuck around. I've been watching you for a very long time. I've seen how you've grown and matured as a content creator. And while I know what we see on the internet is never the full story of a person's life, the personal growth can't help but peak through in your content as well. That whole situation confused me from the start because, like you, I couldn't really understand where the allegations were coming from and it just didn't make sense. I can't make a judgement for myself if I can't see the actual reason and people on the internet have no problem showing screen shots and pictures etc when there actually are some. I feel for you and the trauma you've had to navigate due to just all the BS. Even though I'm just a random person on the internet, I hope it brings you something positive knowing you've added some positivity into my life with your honesty and personality in your content. Wishing you the best. ❤

[@live.travel.]

I'm so incredibly sorry this all happened to you, and it truly shows what kind of people they are, and your honesty shows through. I had no idea any of this was happening- I don't use tiktok and many other platforms, but I genuinely hope this helps you heal. You've shown and taught me so much about autism that I truly didn't know or understand before, your work is incredible and I hope you know that

[@KristineS]

I finally figured out that I’m autistic, at 52 years old, in big part by watching your videos. You are absolutely precious and I’m so grateful to you for your content, and for your honesty and authenticity. People are losing their minds right now. Everything is scary and unknown about what’s going on in this country and in the world. We can’t trust our leaders. We are divided and don’t trust each other. It’s very scary, but you are a light in the dark, so unfortunately you are going to be attacked. It’s not on you it’s on the people who keep choosing hate based on their fear and anger. It’s on all of us to take our power back. We all need to heal.

[@libbyisakitteh]

Great job Paige. I’m sure this was so hard to talk about it and you’ve been through so much. I don’t have autism, I have schizophrenia, but I find your content so helpful and homey. Please know you are making a difference and people want you here.

[@britt0242]

If someone accuses another person of doing something, then the burden of proof lies on the accuser. The fact that almost 4 years later, no one can even identify what you supposedly did or said that hurt people? That’s all the proof I need, in addition to the last couple years of content I’ve seen from you, to know that you’re a good person. I think you’re right that being the youngest in that group chat, as well as having the largest following, is what put the target on your back. I’m sorry you went through all that. Thank you for being you.

[@emilymahiai94]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. You've handled it with considerable grace!

[@aurora_starsky]

Understanding how the power you hold (whether you realize you have it or not) influences others and their perception of what you do and say is something that has been a huge struggle for me for a few years now. There have been a lot of tears and sleepeless nights. You think you are being respectful, keeping people informed, expressing how greatful you are to them, or you have a friend you can talk freely with and be yourself, only to find their perception of the situation is totally different and rather than tell you you were out of line or they were unhappy with you they tell everyone else or ghost you because of power dynamics you didn't percieve. I have so much ptsd from this cycle I barely say anything to anyone and feel like I have no idea how to form friendships. Learning about my newly realized autistic traits in my late 30s has allowed me to give myself more grace for these screwups and your videos have helped me through a lot. You make me feel like I'm maybe not so alone. Please keep going. I'm sorry this happened to you and made you fearful or lose faith in yourself. You have always seemed like you have a good heart.

[@elizabethcervantes9693]

Paige, as a fellow late diagnosed autistic, your videos have always made me feel safe and seen. every since i found your channel, i have looked forward to whenever you post. you have never hurt me (a POC) and i will always support you. you have done such a good job and you are so helpful. i know it's hard feeling misunderstood, especially when it is unfounded. these people only parrot what they hear unfortuantely. i hope one day you'll be able to post without feeling so anxious. take care of yourself

[@TheFireDivine]

The autism community has become an echo chamber for people who are obsessed with being offended. It has to stop.

[@rubberkiwi1]

You helped me. I'm a 40 y.o. self diagnosed autistic woman and you helped me. I hope you continue to do what you love and if doing these videos are not what you want then so be it but I want you to be happy. I can't help you back like you helped me but I can tell you I hope you are happy with whatever you pursue. Much love to you.

[@rembbokie]

poc autistic here, i’ve always looked up to your videos paige. you’ve taught me so much. although i’ve never had a platform like you, i relate a lot to being taken advantage of and bullied in this way. when you said they made fun of your stims, speech, and even made an sa joke, that’s when i understood what was going on and felt so angry for you. unfortunately, some of the people who have been the most ableist to me have been autistic themselves. “i need to understand the things that i know” really hit home. it’s something i’m still struggling to learn.

[@staticchicken]

Unfortunately a lot of people will weaponize social justice language for their own gain. When I was on Twitter, I had a no callout policy for this reason. Outrage addiction seems to drive a lot of this bullying more than anything.

[@jopgaard]

Paige, you are so brave. I would never think of you as anything other than a compassionate, caring and empathetic person. You care about people around you. I would hope the people who have have said negative things about you would see you as someone who cares more about doing right and saying what is right than in taking down others. Keep doing what you are doing! You are a fantastic person!

[@user-zy3ii4xq2j]

You are so relatable and empathetic, that I wish I had someone like you as a friend. Watching your videos has often helped me through tough times. These people just used you as a scape goat to gain following. I hope reading this comment makes you feel better. I wish you all the best.

[@wholesomecontent666]

I couldn’t put into words how enormous the positive impact that you existing on the internet has had on my life, SO many people understand themselves better because they’ve seen themselves in you and your stories. I’m sorry this happened and that it’s been hurting you for so long. You should be so incredibly proud of yourself for writing a book during that time and staying online despite the doubts cause I know how loud they can be. I hope KZbin remains a safe space for you because I love having you here and in sure many others would agree 💖

[@lylew7]

I am so thankful for your existence and what you share in your content. You've learned the awful lesson that there are manipulative jerks in the world, and some people will believe them. It's so foreign for those of us who would never be able to do that kind of thing, its unfathomable and painful, im sorry you've had to deal with this. You CAN come back from this. Just keep being your authentic self. You've demonstrated more than enough that you are open to feedback and want to grow. People who accuse but won't explain are just being manipulative. That's on them, not you. Youre a wonderful person. ❤

[@coriroo9323]

I'm really sorry that happened to you. I think we all have inherent biases, but that doesnt mean they are malicious. You gotta just do the best you can, and it really sounds like you've tried to. I really like you. I click on your content the second I see it. I really appreciate your compassion for autistic children. You seem kind and funny to me, and Im really glad for the content you post. I hope you find peace, and I'm happy it seems like you've found some strength. You helped me during a really difficult season with my son. Thank you.

[@indiand6460]

We love you Paige 💜 I thought this was a wonderful video. I hadn’t heard about this controversy despite having followed you for a few years. I hope you keep posting and start to feel more comfortable being online again, if that’s what you decide that you want to do. I’m also a 24 year old white female autistic, so in many ways I feel like I relate to you. I was only diagnosed in 2021 and you’ve been a massive part of my autism journey: learning and education and self discovery and acceptance-wise. Thank you for all that you do 💓 it is appreciated. You are allowed to be human and imperfect, and I hope that more strangers on the internet will give others the grace to do so.

[@AnnaAG-yk7mr]

Hi Paige, I am not on social media except from youtube and I never heard about all of this. But I what I can say is that you helped me through really rough times in my life, you helped me to be at peace with the fact that I am not the steretopical nine years old autistic boy who loves trains but a young women, intelligent and who can understand people around me and mask but who is autistic. I love your videos, your analyses. Thank you for your work ! You will never be able to please everyone. I hope you will be able to push trough. lots of love (sorry for the mistakes I am french)

[@Princejonn]

Holy hell. This sounds like a horrible nightmare and I empathise and recognise so much of your reactions to this. I hope this video was cathartic and that it helped you. I didn’t know about any of this and I am mortified. I do agree that it doesn’t sit right and it doesn’t make sense. I hope this can eventually become a distant memory 🙂 I am proud of you

[@stevenricks1703]

Just want to throw in one more voice of support. Your videos have been helpful to me, and I’m glad you’re making them.

[@richardmoore6078]

As other people have said: You’re not in the wrong for being taken advantage of. I don't hate you & I'm sure there's many of us who feel the same. This hit me in the feels...sending air-hugs.

[@Minakie]

As an autistic person with social anxiety and C-PTSD, I am getting second-hand trauma just hearing you talk about this. I can't imagine how stressful this might've been. Even if you think you're over it now, it's the kind of thing that will still have a negative impact on your body years after the fact. This kind of situation is exactly why I am always so weary of people and so terrified to open up and be vulnerable, because people have the capacity for both deep love and deep hatred and, as someone who sucks at anything social, I usually find myself toward the hatred side of things as well, usually as confused as to how I get there as you were. It sucks to feel bad about a mistake you know you've made but it's even worse to not even understand what it is that other people think you did wrong. I am sorry you went through this, I hope talking about it and getting things off your chest helps you move forward in your healing journey.

[@isf1984]

Come across your videos on here over the last week or so what I’ve seen of you’re content has been helping me with understanding my ASC

[@blu_heron]

Violence, abuse, and manipulation doesn’t belong in accountability. Proving the morality of someone’s character is nuanced and also based in fact or fiction, evidence does count for something. Liking and disliking people doesn’t weigh in a person’s moral identity. People can dislike Paige for all sorts of reasons, but it doesn’t change that she is genuinely a kind person.

[@YukitaOnline]

I've never been on tiktok, but been following you for the last two years on youtube during my own ND journey. I really enjoyed your videos and to all what I can see of you, you are a nice person and a very reflective person, an intelligent person. It makes me sad to see you have to overexplain about something that you never did and can deeply relate with this feeling of experience. I have never known that this went down since before I started watching you and it shocks me. I hope you heal from this and that you find better experiences again going forward. Please do what is best for you as well. Best wishes!

[@xcherrykinsx]

i remember when all of this went down and the biggest takeaway for me, even at the time, was that you were stressed about the allegations against you and that nobody was actually sharing what the allegations were. the whole thing felt like people were bullying and ganging up on you for no truly valid reason. even as an autistic poc, the whole thing seemed ridiculous and scary to me. and i'm so so sorry that you had to go through it. i'm not going to lie, it reminds me of another situation where one of my favorite autistic creators was 'cancelled' for any number of reasons that absolutely DID NOT deserve the response that they got. and then, the cherry on top of it all is that when someone they trusted had their best interest at heart offered to help them with their apology, after they took up the offer and had posted it, that person came forward with screenshots of their correspondence and called them a fake for it. their career never recovered and i think about that more often than i care to admit. social media/the internet can be such a scary and hurtful place; i hope that you'll feel comfortable existing in the digital space again but, if not, i wish you nothing but the best moving forward.

[@cupofteawithpoetry]

Please, Please, Please continue with your channel Paige. You help so many people! Please know what a good person you are 💕💕

[@samhiatt]

You do more good than harm when you speak freely and are just yourself. Your perspective is valuable and should be heard, unfiltered.

[@stephenie44]

No one should ever give anyone their password. Especially under coercive circumstances…

[@rubyjinclark-webber7972]

Self (and peer) diagnosed 22yr old here - I have been used my whole life because of how gullible, naive and loving I am. You have an incredible heart and so much more genuine love and kindness than so many can even UNDERSTAND having for strangers and the whole world. Please never ever stop doing what you do. your cannel has single handedly supported me on my journey toward unmasking and accepting my real personality. I know how hard it is when we give so much and it somehow furthers the gap between us and others - but I hope you know how valuable it is that you continue to reach out and project your knowledge and love !

[@loopduplicate]

As a long time viewer, I had no idea about any of this. You are wonderful and I'm so glad that you have shared your thoughts over the years because it has really made my life better. Hugs

[@loopduplicate]

I just finished watching... I'm proud of you.

[@manusteyn2290]

Sorry you had to go through this. Some people are just toxic. You are not one of them. We believe in you. Hope you are well.

[@abreakinthesurface]

Thank you for sharing this with us. I can see that you are genuine in your intentions. Having someone speak down on your name with accusations but no actual evidence of wrongdoing, especially someone you considered a friend, hurts. The internet makes it 10x easier to broadcast this negativity. Their words don't reflect who you are.

[@sifkoh]

I hope you know you genuinely help people with your videos, you've helped me, and you deserve to be accepted for what you are doing. Please don't be afraid to post stuff! You're an important force for good!

[@LoveLearnShareGrow]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. And I'm glad you made this video! (And I'm glad I clicked on it, because I wasn't going to, but youtube kept recommending it to me.) It looks like you've learned important things from this, and I hope other people can take away those same lessons. I am overwhelmed with thoughts. Overwhelmed. This isn't advice to you, I just need to express some thoughts: 1) I struggle with the idea of "demanding labor" in the sense of "Black people are not responsible for teaching you what racism is." I can certainly see how that kind of _demand_ can turn into bad faith questions intended to derail conversations, like sealioning. But if somebody is accusing you of bad behavior, the onus is ABSOLUTELY on them to explain how! _Especially_ among friends and peers. If they won't explain what words or behavior they object to, that's a huge red flag that they are attempting to defraud an innocent person. 2) Never apologize if you don't know what you did wrong. It's literally a fake apology unless you understand what you did and know how to do better in the future. WHAT A SHITTY PUBLICIST THAT WAS! 3) There is absolutely never a situation where a person is automatically right or wrong because of their identity group. That's literally what racism is. In a society of equals (which is what we're striving for, right?) accusations should be treated in accordance with the severity of the topic and the evidence, and that's all. Identity group NEVER determines who is right or wrong in matters of truth. Ok, I think I'm done. Good video.

[@ryn2844]

I make a point out of Googling for evidence when I see an apology or drama video, so I just did that, and yeah there's really nothing. Good on you for processing the shame out loud. That's the only way to neutralize shame. I hope you recover your confidence.

[@Alex-xc5ju]

What an absolute nightmare

[@TheFireDivine]

This is what the leftist obsession with intersectionality breeds.

[@prismaticshards-p]

i believe you paige ♡ I've been following you for at least 2 years now if not longer, and ive never thought or believed you to be racist, or even a person who wouldn't own up to what you did if you did something. as a Latinx follower of yours, i feel like you handled this situation as best as you could at each step of the way. the integrity you've shown throughout the whole ordeal says more than what a bunch of people can say when they're trying to seek retribution in the wrong places.

[@CoCaptainAwesome]

Really upsetting that people weaponised racism to bully you. Especially for people you thought were your friends. Really shitty behaviour and if anything the fact you perservered through it says how good of a person you are. I really love the honesty and transparency. Also, for some reason, the audio only comes through on one of the ears of my headphones. It might just be a me thing though.

[@TheFireDivine]

This is a huge problem in the autism community. We’ve become an echo chamber for obsession with being “offended”.

[@marybarnes2409]

I'm so glad I never unfollowed you during all this stuff. I remember seeing tiktoks telling me that if I support you then that makes me racist. I remember searching all over for some sort of explanation but there was no real answer about why you're racist. You make me feel understood. Thank you for being here

[@MegaAnimaldoctor]

Paige... as a viewer, I am IMMENSELY proud of you. This is an incredible video and it reassures me a lot. I've had to deal with fallout myself, but unlike you, where you were caught in a situation that wasn't at all your fault, it took me a long time to realize I was acting on self-destructive behaviors. I've always been terrified of something like this happening to me. This can serve as a reminder that if somehow it does... I can still move through it. I was evaluated when I was under the age of 3 for being on the spectrum and am now actively working to get myself re-evaluated after Jackscepticeye announced his autism diagnosis. I've thought about your impact on my identity a lot. I can't say I'm a frequent viewer, but something that has ALWAYS stuck out to me is the video where you talked about stimming. You talked about singing, and I always sing to myself, and after a while, I realize it had the same effect for me. Singing isn't just something I love doing for others, it's something that grounds me. So I've always come back to that thought. I had an idea involving your singing in that video, by the way, and that's why I came back here, and now, seeing this video... I had no idea any of this happened and it angers me that it all happened to you. It's so irritating when people won't just say what your mistake was, and I can't believe it was blown up like this. But we're all proud of you and you got through it incredibly well and you're still here. So maybe I shouldn't worry about what I might screw up publicly as much and just try my best. Thank you, Paige, you're awesome!!

[@mariapaularuano8585]

I think the whole point of everything is putting effort in understanding our mistakes and making better choices going forward. Listening to the marginalized is ALWAYS the first step, but if you can’t understand your mistakes and therefore make better choices, then I think none of it is productive, and if people are criticizing you and not your actions, its just bullying and you should definitely move on from it. Ive seen this happen always to people who actually care to be good to others, acknowledge their mistakes and learning from it, but what I see is that the (very valid) rage that people have about being oppressed can’t really be taken on by the opressors, because they do that care, and is just shifted to anyone who can be seen as not opressed (i.e. white, st8, men) who actually will listen. And I just think that sucks, lets hold people accountable not bully anyone.

[@FA_C0N]

I was there as the whole drama unfolded (wasn't apart of the group chat) (old tag was NinjaFalcon2) I even asked to help do production for the event. then when the shit hit the fan, everyone got caught in an echo chamber (myself included for a minute). I wanted to figure out the proof as well but no one showed it. I thought you could've handled it better and explain your side first. But then you got bullied into taking that vid down which felt very off and sad when the next thing you made was an apology vid. Got super concerned that I left the Tik Tok autism community because I was worried I was gonna get attacked for asking questions as to "why" and "how" like everyone else has. Got called a white supremacist just for asking for some clarification. as for the POC creators 1 POC I sort of understood the situation, had 0 issue with them because people were being jerks. the other guy I wanted to believe but everything about him felt so off. He even made a tik tok (deleted it later) going into another autistic creator's account and then basically trying to indoctrinate her in believing her skin color (white) is the reason she has more followers than him. She caved in and started believing him. He manipulated a lot of people and recently he got exposed for being a pervert by subscribing to a friends OF (I think), and also flirting a lot. basically manipulating people to get what he wanted when it came for views, attention, and perversion. He's cancelled, he's gone. no redemption. What happened was not your fault. someone got greedy and decided to take a controversal situation with the plagerism and then made it all about himself (using "POC are getting suppressed" as a shield and crutch to guilt everyone). I thought everyone was given a fair chance with what resources were given and adjusted if necessary and nobody came across as racist or such, but looking back after the George Floyd protests, it shaped a lot of people's minds and looking back that did have a huge sensitive influence on the whole downfall as a whole. The whole stream was suppose to be a diverse group of Autistic influencers sharing their experiences and bringing each other up in uplifting.. Instead it became a "who had it worse" contest despite the fact, we all have different struggles big and small; intersection or without. Glad I got to hear your side of the situation as clear as day.. because they were not being fair to you while you were being fair to everyone else.

[@V1sual3y3z]

thanks for providing some context for those of us that didn't hear about this and are now a bit confused

[@FA_C0N]

@@V1sual3y3zdidn't want to provide names as requested of Paige but I do know who they were. and some other names that were apart of the group as well. it was a shit sandwich as a whole and I had lots of time to reflect on it. I will say, if you didn't have a tik tok 3 years ago: good, no need to explore it back then

[@nuclearclarity3778]

i also remember this. the guy in question is still following me on tiktok even though i unfollowed.

[@janedavis1730]

I just tried googling this to see if anyone had ever posted receipts and I couldn't find anything. You would think if there was anything really there someone would have posted it. I literally saw people ask for receipts only to get the response "she was racist" as if that's an actual explanation. People can't be bothered to think.

[@TheFireDivine]

Because the autism community has become an echo chamber for people to claim they’re offended when what was done/said wasn’t even intended to be offensive.

[@nachtus]

Those of us that you have helped, know the source. You are a good person, even though you say social media is "not you", the real you shows through in the content. You have a big audience and are now subsequently a big target for those who gain their clout by disparaging others. This too will pass and you will be stronger for having gone through it, as now you are equipped with the knowledge that bad actors exist. I wish you the best in your journey and hope to continue to see your content pop up.

[@SylvesterAshcroft88]

I love your content, and you're not doing something right, if there isn't people out there, trying to undermine what you're doing. I've dealt with similar things in the past, and tbh i didn't really understand it myself, but i just moved on with my life, and left those people behind. The brighest among us also cast the longest shadow, and there will always be people who want to capitalise, on what they believe to be true, when they are just high on their own supply.

[@breezywindflower]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Cedrinya]

I just started following your stuff this year since I went down on my own autism journey and got diagnosed just last month. This sounds to me like one of the most insane shit I've seen in the Autism Content Creator Space. I have no idea what the specifics are to this story and honestly I don't even care looking into it, but your story just sounds like it's full of insane people trying to butcher your reputation for their own greater goods. It's never wrong listening to opinions from others, IF YOU ASK THEM FOR OPINIONS, but what you do with it is yours to decide. I can imagine this being extremly rough to go through, but honestly you don't need these people, you don't need their opinions, you do your own stuff and from what I've seen over the past couple of months it's extremly good will and very helpfull to a lot of people.

[@AndrayaLeeTV]

I'm so glad you decided to post this. It's so very important to speak your truth. As true as it is that POC have been persecuted for such a long time and still are in so many ways, the future for humanity is not us vs. them but us bound together. It's okay to be different. It's okay to have different perspectives. It's important to stand up for injustice, which is what you work so hard to do. And injustice has no color. Injustice affects us all, some more than others, but anyone can point the finger at someone when they can't look at themselves.

[@JadeJackalope]

I really feel for her. As a neurodivergent person, the fear of things like this happening to me (or because of me) at all (let alone so publicly) is devastating. Being told you have done something wrong, and you should have known it was wrong, and if you don’t then it’s your job to figure it out yourself…thinking you hurt someone but you don’t know what you did and you’re scrambling to figure it out and you don’t know how to make anything better and afraid of making things worse, or maybe even accidentally do make things worse when trying to make things better…it’s such a painful, shame filled nightmare. Surely there has got to be a better way for people that genuinely just want to do the right thing after making a mistake. Seeing someone like Paige having gone through this too; I don’t have the right words to fully describe it, but this video felt very healing for me.