The Paralympics' TikTok account is causing controversy

"Has the Paralympics account been hacked?" This is what some internet users are wondering after seeing the videos posted by the official TikTok account of the Paralympic Games, where athletes are ridiculed, even mocked. For example, we see a blind cyclist looking for his bike, with Beethoven playing in the background, or a runner sprawling out before the finish line, with sound effects from the Mario Kart game. The International Paralympic Committee seems to have relied on dark humor and an offbeat tone to attract a younger audience to its social media. A strategy that is paying off as the viral videos have accumulated millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes on the Chinese video platform.

However, this campaign is far from unanimous. Some members of the public accuse the committee of reinforcing negative stereotypes about people with disabilities. On the athlete side, David Lysaght, an Irish para-equestrian, has called for a boycott of these mocking contents which he believes condone and encourage the mocking and abuse that people with disabilities already face daily in society. He stated on Instagram that these videos undermine the dedication of Paralympic athletes and discredit their sport. This bitter sentiment is shared by American Paralympic snowboarder Brenna Huckaby, who lamented the committee's lack of consideration: "There is a lack of balance between highlighting what Paralympic athletes can achieve and the funny side of the videos. It feels condescending and disrespectful."

The Paralympic Committee firmly rejects these criticisms. Craig Spence, the head of brand and communications at the IPC, explains that humor is used to attract a younger audience, who will then become interested in the Paris 2024 events and watch them. He also points out that the committee publishes educational content on Paralympic sports alongside the humorous videos. Andrew Parsons, president of the Paralympic Committee, added by reminding that the goal is to promote the acceptance of disabilities by younger generations: "We want to raise awareness among younger audiences so that they adopt a more inclusive approach." Some athletes, like Emeline Pierre, a para-swimmer from the French team, support the committee's approach. "If people can laugh at this, maybe they will start to see us as a bit more normal," she said.

This controversy seems to bring up the eternal debate of "can we laugh at everything?". A complicated question to say the least, as humor is a complex subject that combines culture and politics. In a society where people with disabilities are institutionally discriminated against, not everyone is equipped to understand the satirical tone (intended by the committee), and it could instead encourage prejudice. It is also worth noting that unfortunately, educational videos about disabilities - which are much more beneficial in terms of inclusion and representation - would not generate as much excitement as the funny and light-hearted posts due to the unforgiving laws of social media algorithms.