It’s one thing to make a mistake, but it’s a whole other matter to double down on what you did wrong. That being said, Montana-based influencer Sam Jones made a grave error in her judgment when she decided to snatch a wild baby wombat from its mother and post a video of the scene on Instagram.
Needless to say, nobody liked that, and her action resulted in backlash so great that the Australian Prime Minster himself publicly criticized her. But instead of owning her mistake and moving on, she decided to anger all of Australia.
“Take a baby crocodile from its mother, and see how you go there,” Prime Minster Anthony Albanese expressed to the press, condemning Jones’ act of indiscretion on Australian wildlife. With government officials now involved, you’d imagine any normal person would admit their wrongdoing and apologize.
Instead, the Montana influencer doubled down in a statement posted to Instagram, claiming she was only trying to remove the baby wombat from the road for safety. Her excuse for picking up the wild animal was that she was checking to see if it was sick or hurt. She eventually says she’s “truly sorry for the distress I have caused,” not for her mistake. Of course, no one bought her story.
After avoiding ownership of her mistake by claiming she was just trying to help, she goes on to insult the Australian government in a second Instagram statement. “Am I a villain?” she begins before condemning her critics and the government, declaring that thousands of Australian animals die for legal and commercial reasons, suggesting that her mistake is minor in comparison.
“These same people ought to understand the reality of Australia today,” she snarkily remarks. In the statement, she says Prime Minster Albanese is to blame for the mass slaughtering of animals and claims he “wishes harm on her” because of her “effort to help.”
“Hypocrisy at its finest,” the Montana “outdoor enthusiast & hunter” proclaimed before eventually implying that the Prime Minister, government, and Australian people are the real “villain.” It goes without saying that many thought her public response to the backlash was horrid. “She doubled down, didn’t apologize, insulted Australians and lied,” remarks a user on Reddit. “Influencers being publicly shamed and humiliated for their s***ty behavior is never not satisfying. Bring consequence culture back and keep these freaks from monetizing stupidity,” chimes in another.
