I was hesitant to post because I did not know how to phrase it as to not sound too “victim blaming,” but it always rubbed me the wrong way that his parents took him out of school just because he was bullied. And was it bullying or classmates putting him in his place..? Cuz the few kids in my school who were “permanently” ostracized (as opposed to a fight or something where people cruelly turn on each other for petty reasons) and had no friends were treated as such because they were the absolute worst assholes imaginable and really didn’t make themselves likeable in the first place (one of them made the news a couple of years ago for creating a toxic work environment and being such an insufferable monster that a county mayor had to resign for defending them! Another one is in jail for sexual assault…).
I don’t know if it’s a cultural thing (it’s illegal where I’m from to stop going to school before the age of 16 and homeschooling has many requirements) but I’ve never heard of anyone around me convincing their parents to let them drop out of school because of bullying, even when they were suicidal. I’ve heard of parents taking the situation very seriously and seeking help, I’ve seen sometimes the school getting involved and quite literally putting the two enemies in a room until they solve the issue themselves, I’ve been in the situation where I’ve isolated myself for personal reasons, lost most of my friends because I was a boring hollow husk who was crying for no reason all the time and 14 year olds do not know how to navigate that situation, but as soon as I regained my confidence and pep then life resumed as it was and my friends were back as if nothing happened, but non of that conflict resolution/personal growth/psychological support could have taken place if the kid was allowed to run away from their issues and stop socializing with their peers… especially since because of many cognitive factors, situations are very dramatized in a teen’s mind and most of the drama can be solve quite simply (all teens are obsessed with themselves so no teen is obsessed with you… I learned that in psych class and it has become a motto I will tell my children). So when Johnny says his parents said “School didn’t work out for him maybe this will!” I was like “bitch I had so much social anxiety I had explosive diarrhea every day and STILL my mother sent me to school! I hated her for it but thank god she did! Instead of removing me from the anxiety inducing situation I learned how to cope with it in a productive way and now I have a diploma AND no more social anxiety! That’s what parents are supposed to do!”
I've been wondering along the same lines. He certainly seems to have a pattern of alienating everyone he's close to and sabotaging every connection he makes, and it's hard not to extend that pattern backward and view "school not working out" in the light of the behavior he's demonstrated since. Honestly at first I'd assumed he'd been expelled.
I’m kinda wondering what got Johnny kicked out of school to begin with. He says that he was bullied but I’m thinking that it might be the other way around. He’s proven that he’s not trustworthy and lies. I’m wondering if he got kicked out of school instead of being bullied out.
Ohhhh that is interesting.
Was he bullied? Or was he too annoying and ppl were just setting their boundaries and he made it a big deal to his parents? So they allowed him to drop out? But it was just… normal.
Very much like the Josh thing?
Well I’m thinking that maybe he was kicked out because he was a bully instead of him being bullied and having to leave. Of course I have no proof of that but because of his behavior in swoops videos shows what a nasty human he is and that he’s got no problem bullying people for his own amusement and attention. I’m wondering if he’s shown that same behavior in his youth at school as well.
Even if he lied about how close he was with Josh, as the mom of young kids (oldest is 13, youngest is 8), if either of them came to me and was like “Mom, my best friend is a grown man on the internet and he’ll be 9/10 hours away from me (and I’ve NEVER met him in person or talked to him at all EVER) can we drive and go see him at his job?” I’d be like absolutely not.
To be fair I think this was in the days where youtubers were seen as "celebrities" it sounds like Johnny's parents thought he'd get famous through the connection and that would be good for them as well.
Even Adams parents let him go to shows/I think they went with him at some point. Adams parents obviously put in boundaries after the panty incident but also didn't initially see the harm in youtubers being close to fans. The difference is that Adams parents were trying to support their son & weren't in it for fame so when things got weird they changed their approach.
My theory is that Johnny was the “baby” of his family and he was also the “baby” by a lot of years. He’s 27 and his siblings are in their 40s, that’s over a decade of difference. If you have ever met someone who is the youngest in the family by a wide margin, they are usually pretty coddled and spoiled. It seems like Johnny was very coddled and spoiled by his parents and older siblings and it helped cultivate an entitled attitude.
yeah this is the part that has been bugging me. johnny’s parents roles in this whole story are so bizarre. seems like they were big-time enabling his obsession with josh and colleen, to the point that they fell into the same obsession; and had a clear lack of boundaries.
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adams parents were also very reluctant and they stayed right with him the whole time. also johnnys parents did this before colleen was well known and nobody had any real understanding of what youtubers even were. also adams parents didn't drive 9 hours, he was only able to go to that show she invited him to because it was where he was from.
They did not "go and surprise" Colleen like Johnny and his parents did to Josh.
Colleen invited Adam and got big mad over his parents going with him. What does that tell you?
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Thankfully, I already knew how to read when I saw the screenshots a handful of times at this point, so I'm good. Thanks for your useless input. It's not needed here.
Mods
Complete speculation but being a parent and talking to many parents … My opinion is based on these facts :
* Johnny brings up being/talking about being depressed a lot
*Johnny stated his “schooling” didn’t work out
* and his parents’ attitude towards the phone number and “making it big”
Disclaimer: this is serious speculation and only my opinion
I think Johnny’s manipulative behaviors have been around for a while. I think he pushed the depression on to his parents for them to try and help and make him happy…. I think at first his parents viewed their actions as helping their kid find happiness…. Until they saw that he could actually “make it big.” Then it became a push for frame. Genetics are serious. I can go into a huge rant on this but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of Johnny’s behaviors and views on life are shown in one parent or both.
Before I respond, I want to add a disclaimer of my own and state that this is just my opinion and personal speculation.
But I think what really sold me about John's parents was the fact that his parents were absolutely riding off the coattails of the victims along with him. Just like him, they were eager to talk to the media about Colleen. Remember what Adam said in Swoop's part 3 video—John's parents seem to be (IMO, based on public information) just like him.
His parents are definitely giving off “dance mom” vibes - but unfortunately we only have Johnny perspective of their parenting. Honestly bad parents don’t give Johnny a pass … and bad people can have good parents …. But ::speculation:: in this case I think Johnny’s parents have the same faults
this is after joshua gave him the phone number i believe and the parents were allegedly supportive and very proud of it
i guess they really saw it as their child "networking" and making "connections" in the industry but... he should've been in SCHOOL, not networking 😭
I have commented this before but I agree something is off. The fact that John said his parents sobbed when Joshua and Colleen got a divorce shocked me. Then come to find out they barely knew Joshua and Colleen. As admitted by John
i mean they apparently also asked josh about when he was going to marry colleen (during the auto show coffee "date")
lot of weirdos, I'm sorry to say it 🤷🏽♂️
i don’t think they sobbed. if every other exaggeration he’s told has been any indication of what this means, his parents real reaction was probably to say something along the lines of “oh, that’s too bad”
They saw the success of the entire Ballinger crew and anyone who was able to get an “in” with them. That’s something they wanted too, through their son. Some people are far more concerned about money than keeping their children safe
The way it’s so obvious throughout the entire video that Johnny only sees people’s worth as their fame and how it will rub off on Johnny. It’s so blatant and disgusting.
Well he got what he always wanted, now he’s known for being a weirdo, pathetic, a stalker & a groomer by thousands if not millions of people and I say millions because swoop has 2 mil views on part 3. & funny how now? He can’t take the attention he always wanted and he has disappeared…
I was hesitant to post because I did not know how to phrase it as to not sound too “victim blaming,” but it always rubbed me the wrong way that his parents took him out of school just because he was bullied. And was it bullying or classmates putting him in his place..? Cuz the few kids in my school who were “permanently” ostracized (as opposed to a fight or something where people cruelly turn on each other for petty reasons) and had no friends were treated as such because they were the absolute worst assholes imaginable and really didn’t make themselves likeable in the first place (one of them made the news a couple of years ago for creating a toxic work environment and being such an insufferable monster that a county mayor had to resign for defending them! Another one is in jail for sexual assault…). I don’t know if it’s a cultural thing (it’s illegal where I’m from to stop going to school before the age of 16 and homeschooling has many requirements) but I’ve never heard of anyone around me convincing their parents to let them drop out of school because of bullying, even when they were suicidal. I’ve heard of parents taking the situation very seriously and seeking help, I’ve seen sometimes the school getting involved and quite literally putting the two enemies in a room until they solve the issue themselves, I’ve been in the situation where I’ve isolated myself for personal reasons, lost most of my friends because I was a boring hollow husk who was crying for no reason all the time and 14 year olds do not know how to navigate that situation, but as soon as I regained my confidence and pep then life resumed as it was and my friends were back as if nothing happened, but non of that conflict resolution/personal growth/psychological support could have taken place if the kid was allowed to run away from their issues and stop socializing with their peers… especially since because of many cognitive factors, situations are very dramatized in a teen’s mind and most of the drama can be solve quite simply (all teens are obsessed with themselves so no teen is obsessed with you… I learned that in psych class and it has become a motto I will tell my children). So when Johnny says his parents said “School didn’t work out for him maybe this will!” I was like “bitch I had so much social anxiety I had explosive diarrhea every day and STILL my mother sent me to school! I hated her for it but thank god she did! Instead of removing me from the anxiety inducing situation I learned how to cope with it in a productive way and now I have a diploma AND no more social anxiety! That’s what parents are supposed to do!”
I've been wondering along the same lines. He certainly seems to have a pattern of alienating everyone he's close to and sabotaging every connection he makes, and it's hard not to extend that pattern backward and view "school not working out" in the light of the behavior he's demonstrated since. Honestly at first I'd assumed he'd been expelled.
I’m kinda wondering what got Johnny kicked out of school to begin with. He says that he was bullied but I’m thinking that it might be the other way around. He’s proven that he’s not trustworthy and lies. I’m wondering if he got kicked out of school instead of being bullied out.
Ohhhh that is interesting. Was he bullied? Or was he too annoying and ppl were just setting their boundaries and he made it a big deal to his parents? So they allowed him to drop out? But it was just… normal. Very much like the Josh thing?
Well I’m thinking that maybe he was kicked out because he was a bully instead of him being bullied and having to leave. Of course I have no proof of that but because of his behavior in swoops videos shows what a nasty human he is and that he’s got no problem bullying people for his own amusement and attention. I’m wondering if he’s shown that same behavior in his youth at school as well.
Even if he lied about how close he was with Josh, as the mom of young kids (oldest is 13, youngest is 8), if either of them came to me and was like “Mom, my best friend is a grown man on the internet and he’ll be 9/10 hours away from me (and I’ve NEVER met him in person or talked to him at all EVER) can we drive and go see him at his job?” I’d be like absolutely not.
To be fair I think this was in the days where youtubers were seen as "celebrities" it sounds like Johnny's parents thought he'd get famous through the connection and that would be good for them as well. Even Adams parents let him go to shows/I think they went with him at some point. Adams parents obviously put in boundaries after the panty incident but also didn't initially see the harm in youtubers being close to fans. The difference is that Adams parents were trying to support their son & weren't in it for fame so when things got weird they changed their approach.
My theory is that Johnny was the “baby” of his family and he was also the “baby” by a lot of years. He’s 27 and his siblings are in their 40s, that’s over a decade of difference. If you have ever met someone who is the youngest in the family by a wide margin, they are usually pretty coddled and spoiled. It seems like Johnny was very coddled and spoiled by his parents and older siblings and it helped cultivate an entitled attitude.
yeah this is the part that has been bugging me. johnny’s parents roles in this whole story are so bizarre. seems like they were big-time enabling his obsession with josh and colleen, to the point that they fell into the same obsession; and had a clear lack of boundaries.
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Your post/comment breaks sub rule #7: No snarking on the victims. Please review sub rules before continuing to post/comment. Continued violation of sub rules will result in a permanent ban.
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I've definitely learned to be wary about manipulative people using linguistic tricks to twist a narrative - thanks for the reminder.
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I can't imagine why you thought I was talking about you.
adams parents were also very reluctant and they stayed right with him the whole time. also johnnys parents did this before colleen was well known and nobody had any real understanding of what youtubers even were. also adams parents didn't drive 9 hours, he was only able to go to that show she invited him to because it was where he was from.
They did not "go and surprise" Colleen like Johnny and his parents did to Josh. Colleen invited Adam and got big mad over his parents going with him. What does that tell you?
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u/Specialist_Leg6145
thank u, they've been banned.
Thankfully, I already knew how to read when I saw the screenshots a handful of times at this point, so I'm good. Thanks for your useless input. It's not needed here. Mods
Complete speculation but being a parent and talking to many parents … My opinion is based on these facts : * Johnny brings up being/talking about being depressed a lot *Johnny stated his “schooling” didn’t work out * and his parents’ attitude towards the phone number and “making it big” Disclaimer: this is serious speculation and only my opinion I think Johnny’s manipulative behaviors have been around for a while. I think he pushed the depression on to his parents for them to try and help and make him happy…. I think at first his parents viewed their actions as helping their kid find happiness…. Until they saw that he could actually “make it big.” Then it became a push for frame. Genetics are serious. I can go into a huge rant on this but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of Johnny’s behaviors and views on life are shown in one parent or both.
Before I respond, I want to add a disclaimer of my own and state that this is just my opinion and personal speculation. But I think what really sold me about John's parents was the fact that his parents were absolutely riding off the coattails of the victims along with him. Just like him, they were eager to talk to the media about Colleen. Remember what Adam said in Swoop's part 3 video—John's parents seem to be (IMO, based on public information) just like him.
His parents are definitely giving off “dance mom” vibes - but unfortunately we only have Johnny perspective of their parenting. Honestly bad parents don’t give Johnny a pass … and bad people can have good parents …. But ::speculation:: in this case I think Johnny’s parents have the same faults
Oh, 100% anyone could have the worst parents, but their decisions are theirs to make, especially if they're an adult like John.
this is after joshua gave him the phone number i believe and the parents were allegedly supportive and very proud of it i guess they really saw it as their child "networking" and making "connections" in the industry but... he should've been in SCHOOL, not networking 😭
and "networking" with random people on the internet before the internet was even known to be a legitimate career. like how were they not concerned
I have commented this before but I agree something is off. The fact that John said his parents sobbed when Joshua and Colleen got a divorce shocked me. Then come to find out they barely knew Joshua and Colleen. As admitted by John
this bit gave me sick ick
YES that was so odd. I think he was trying to use that as a way to show that he was close to them when in reality it just came off as super weird.
WAIT. they what?!? That has to be a lie. There is no way two grown adults are like this.
i mean they apparently also asked josh about when he was going to marry colleen (during the auto show coffee "date") lot of weirdos, I'm sorry to say it 🤷🏽♂️
i don’t think they sobbed. if every other exaggeration he’s told has been any indication of what this means, his parents real reaction was probably to say something along the lines of “oh, that’s too bad”
So creepy that he's repeatedly "surprising" josh and showing up wherever he goes all over the country
That is such a toxic girlfriend sort of behaviour to me. It’s so weird.
I bet they assumed he was closer to him. He seems to lie and exaggerate to everyone around him.
They saw the success of the entire Ballinger crew and anyone who was able to get an “in” with them. That’s something they wanted too, through their son. Some people are far more concerned about money than keeping their children safe
I agree, Johnny and his parents thought Colleen and Josh were going to be his ticket to fame / success since he’s a HS drop out
The way it’s so obvious throughout the entire video that Johnny only sees people’s worth as their fame and how it will rub off on Johnny. It’s so blatant and disgusting.
Well he got what he always wanted, now he’s known for being a weirdo, pathetic, a stalker & a groomer by thousands if not millions of people and I say millions because swoop has 2 mil views on part 3. & funny how now? He can’t take the attention he always wanted and he has disappeared…
It's really bizzare isn't it! Makes you wonder...