Tinder, the hook-up app known for spawning one-night stands and regret-filled lives, apparently has a line that goes too far--and it has nothing to do with creepy, vulgar pick-up lines.
A viral Facebook post details the story of “Nick,” a 24-year-old who allegedly exchanged numbers with a young woman on the app. According to the story, when the woman did not respond quickly enough, Nick responded by allegedly calling her a racial slur, along with calling her a "c*nt."
Although the interaction took place outside the app, and Nick vehemently denies he was the person sending the message, Tinder felt the need to issue a public statement strongly condemning Nick’s language.
In a statement issued on National Pig Day (March 1), Tinder’s vice president of Communications & Brand, Rosette Pambakian, publicly shamed Nick by informing him that he was permanently banned from the app .
Pambakian wrote she was “personally offended by what [he] said” and that Nick’s words were “an assault, not only on her, but on all of us”:
Tinder has a zero-tolerance policy on disrespect. No racist rants. No sexist pigs. No trolling. No jerks who can’t get over their own inadequacies long enough to have a decent conversation with another person on Tinder.
I was personally offended by what you said. Your words to that woman were an assault, not only on her, but on all of us. Every day, we work to rid our ecosystem of bad actors like you. Why anyone would choose to go out into the world and spread hate I will never understand, but you do not have that choice on Tinder. Hate is not an option and we will continue to fight it wherever it rears its ugly head.
Yes, the people behind the app known for people sending crude not-safe-for-work messages to strangers that would be considered sexual harassment in any other situation think a slur is an “assault” on all of us.
But not only did Pambakian use Nick’s name in the post, but she also mentioned what Nick studies in school, what organizations he’s a member of, and mocks the pain and suffering her letter will inflict on his future:
You have a lot to learn, Nick. I see that you studied global business, and that you joined your school’s programs for young entrepreneurs and technology management. Great choices. Because you’ll need to search far and wide to find an organization that will employ you now. Not sure if you’ve heard, but more and more women are becoming successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Clearly, you haven’t been paying attention. Women’s voices are only getting louder.
Pambakian ended her self-righteous rant by adding, “So let me say this loud and clear: you and your kind are not welcome in our world.”
Pambakian’s anticipated public statement apparently wasn’t enough. News sources, including BuzzFeed and EliteDaily, took it upon themselves to share Nick’s personal information -- including his full name, his Twitter profile, and his Facebook page -- before Tinder even had time to issue their statement.
While there is no excuse for the language Nick supposedly used in his messages, what’s worse is that Tinder’s official statement equates mere words with actual physical assault. When words are considered assault, people can justify anything: even gleefully ruining a young man’s life over private text messages.
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