The "Clerks" director's daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, was bullied by a cyber-troll, but Kevin Smith decided to take the high road in response.
Kevin Smith has a suggestion for the person who wished his 17-year-old daughter dead on social media: "Don't be useless."
The New Jersey born and bred filmmaker behind movies such as "Clerks" and "Dogma" gave that advice next to a screenshot of an insulting comment that his daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, received after posting a picture of herself on Instagram this week. Smith's response was greeted with widespread praise on Twitter, where cyberbullying -- especially against women -- continues to be a major concern.
"there is a difference between constructive criticism and simply being awful"- line of the day, from the author... https://t.co/bmf5WCXwsz
-- Regina Zernay (@reginazernay) August 16, 2016
The Instagram comment attacked Harley's appearance and Smith's latest film, "Yoga Hosers."
"You're cancer and I sincerely hope you end up like Lindsay Lohan and dead," Instragram user kingpsysyphus wrote to Smith's daughter, who stars in "Yoga Hosers."
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Smith said that he "should be apoplectic" about the comment directed at his daughter but he used the opportunity to give his take on how people who choose to tear others down on the Internet could better spend their time.
"If you hate me (or my kid) this much, the better use of your time is to make YOUR dreams come true, instead of slamming others for doing the same," Smith wrote on Instagram. "The best revenge is living insanely well - so if you wanna get back at a 17 year old girl for the grievous crime of enjoying her life, the best way to do it is to succeed in your OWN existence."
Prove your worth to the world rather than attacking others online, Smith said. If you think you're worth of attention that you aren't receiving, the filmmaker wrote, "create something nobody's ever seen before and there is a good chance the world will notice you."
He pushed people to "make something original and fun" to get recognition.
"Because if you're not being useful in this world you're being useless. Don't be useless: go make stuff that makes people happy!" Smith wrote.
Warning: Explicit language included in the post below.
Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.