A journalist was taken aback when a young boy yelled an inappropriate phrase at her during the recording of a news segment.
Michelle Mackey, a reporter for CityNews Toronto in Canada, was working on what she considered a ‘feel-good’ story when the unsettling event took place.
It’s not uncommon for the public to react unfavorably during filming, but Mackey was certainly not anticipating the offensive remark from the child.
The boy, estimated to be about eight or nine years old by Mackey, repeated a phrase that was popular on social media some years ago, where individuals would shout ‘f**k her right in the p***y’ at women.
Disturbingly, the boy’s father, who was present, did not correct his son’s inappropriate behavior.
In a TikTok post where Mackey shared the censored footage, she expressed: “This was one of the most alarming things I’ve witnessed as a news reporter.
“What looked to be an 8 or 9-year-old boy yelled this at me, WITH HIS FATHER BY HIS SIDE. They proceeded to laugh and walk away.”
“Out of respect for the child, I’m blurring their faces. Whether this is yelled at a man or woman, it perpetuates and normalizes misogyny. I thought this horrible trend was over.”
Mackey elaborated on the incident in a conversation with TODAY.com.
“I haven’t heard [the phrase] in a really long time. I’ve heard it before, but it’s been years, and I was shocked to hear it again,” she recounted.
“When I looked over and saw [that the boy] said it, I was beyond disturbed. It looked to be an 8 or 9-year-old boy, and he was either with his dad or grandfather, and the two of them were just giggling. They were just laughing. They thought it was hilarious.”
Despite her attempts to address the situation with them, they chose to walk away.
She explained: “I just wanted to be able to look that father and kid in the eye and say, ‘Can you say that again to me, looking me in the eye as a human being?'”
Mackey described the boy’s comment as ‘violating’, but attributed the blame to the adult for not intervening.
In a message directed at the father who allowed and found humor in his son’s behavior, Mackey said: “You probably are coming at this from a place of humor, and you probably think this is funny and not harmful, but I just hope you can consider the words that came out of your mouth and really think about what those words mean.
“And just ask yourself… would you look in the eye of someone you love and say that to them?”