Swearing with cancer. It’s something that happens an awful lot and that is incredibly hurtful to many people. Especially online is often abused with the word ‘cancer’. A number of well-known YouTubers have recognized the problem and are now working together to tackle and reduce the use of the word. They have now started a campaign together with the Dutch Cancer Society KWF.
27-year-old Koen Weijland from Amsterdam is one of the YouTubers and co-initiator of the campaign. Weijland is a five-time Dutch FIFA Champion and Ajax’s very first FIFA E athlete. His channel has no fewer than 213,000 subscribers. Other well-known YouTubers who support the action are Bas ‘vvbasvv’ van Velzen (24), Reginio ‘Rarko’ Resida (25), Marcella ‘Nysira’ de Bie (29) and Dani Hagebeuk (22).
Words can hurt
“Just like a slap in the face, words can seriously hurt,” says Weijland. “Cancer is one of those words that hurts, especially if you are or have been ill or have had to deal with the disease in your environment. During my streams, on social media and on the street there is a lot of abuse about cancer. This irritates me and affects me personally because I now experience the disease very closely in my family. People don’t realize the impact of cancer abuse. ”
Johan van de Gronden, director of the Dutch Cancer Society, KWF, explains further: “One in three Dutch people is diagnosed with cancer, which means that we all have to deal with it. The use of cancer as a swear word must therefore stop. ”
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