Brave new internet world, part II
While we’re still holding vigils and trying to come to terms with what it all means, one thing is certain: Cho Seung-Hui’s plays are the perfect length for YouTube reenactments. Now, in what is possibly the perfect incarnation of Our Society These Days, a fat man wearing a South Park T-shirt and breathing mostly through his mouth gives a solo rendition of “Richard McBeef” from the bowels of the “Parent’s Basement Playhouse.”
I know it’s been said before, but seriously: On YouTube, nothing is sacred. (And I believe we can expect an essay to that effect to appear somehwere in the mainstream media in T-minus 10 days.)
neill wrote:
Great stuff, but isn’t the obvious cynical meta-response to “mash up” his play “Mr. Brownstone” with some GnR and maybe the NBC footage?
Posted on 19-Apr-07 at 8:01 am | Permalink
John wrote:
There’s already about a half dozen of these on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMsWzlFF5_E
Posted on 19-Apr-07 at 12:05 pm | Permalink
Tom wrote:
This is a bit off topic, but a blog written by a guy who specializes in the copycat effect in school shootings. His post is here, which completely predicts a massive school shooting at around now this time. The rest of his blog is interesting too - he criticizes big media quite a lot for sensationalizing the effect of school shootings.
Posted on 19-Apr-07 at 1:49 pm | Permalink
Pablo wrote:
Tom, I completely agree with that blogger.
I understand the media’s interest in pushing these images and videos onto the public. They do serve to inform the people. Unfortunately, by sensationalizing these events we increase the likelihood that there’ll be a copycat effect. A kid with (he thinks) nothing to lose, a (misplaced) hatred for his classmates, and access to a weapon is that much more likely now to go on one of these rampages. In his eyes, he gains nothing, and he’s certain that he’ll achieve notoriety.
And why wouldn’t he? The media plastered this VT shooter all over the airwaves, internet, and paper memdia. Why wouldn’t they do the same for this new copycat shooter?
Fortunately, there’s been enough of a backlash that a copycat effect — hopefully — won’t last once they realize that deceased shooters are not getting the media attention they craved. See http://newsbusters.org/node/12158 for an example.
Posted on 19-Apr-07 at 4:14 pm | Permalink
Pablo wrote:
BTW, I meant future deceased shooters in that last paragraph. Clearly, they’ve already sensationalized Cho.
Posted on 19-Apr-07 at 4:15 pm | Permalink