The Cuban influencer Claudia Artiles published a video in which she reacted strongly to an audio of a woman who used Down syndrome as a weapon of humiliation against a client who had paid over $2,000 for a course.
In the video shared on TikTok and Instagram, Claudia first plays the audio of a woman, in which she tells her client: "Maybe you have Down syndrome, my love, and you don't understand, so you need to go to a special needs school, because you don't have the necessary abilities to work with the public."
The context of the conflict was that the client claimed she had not learned anything in the course for which she had disbursed that amount, and the seller's response was to attack her with that comparison.
Claudia, who is the mother of Marlon, a boy with Down syndrome, did not let the comment go unanswered: "To humiliate a person, you don’t need to bring up Down syndrome."
The influencer was blunt in pointing out that the only one unable to handle clients was the audio's author herself: "I believe that the only one who lacks the ability to work with clients and communicate with your audience and your clients is you."
He also made it clear what he thinks of his son in front of those who use that condition as an insult: "My son has more education, more love, and more values than normal people, as you call them."
He decided not to reveal the name of the woman's business—"I won't give you free advertising"—but he did send her a final message without mincing words: "There are many people with Down syndrome who are more professional and more educated than you, and much more decent than you. I'm done with you."
The audience reaction was massive and predominantly supportive. On Instagram, the video surpassed 463,000 views and gathered over 25,800 likes and 1,850 comments. On TikTok, it added another 158,100 views.
Among the comments, one stood out from a follower who is also a mother of a child with the same condition: "As the mother of another child with Down syndrome, I can only thank you."
It is not the first time Claudia has stepped out to publicly defend her son. In April of this year, she had already responded in a video to criticisms regarding Marlon's upbringing, showcasing the child's progress with sign language and counting to those who questioned whether he was receiving the proper therapies.
Claudia Artiles, based in Miami and with over 779,000 followers on Instagram, concluded the video with a phrase that summarized everything: "Before calling someone abnormal, check yourself first, because a truly normal person doesn't need a condition to defend themselves."
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