I tend to be pretty anti-authoritarian by nature, and I’m deeply troubled whenever I hear about those who have power abusing those who do not. Even so, I just can’t seem to work up too much outrage over that incident that’s had the InterWebs buzzing for the last week or so, the one in which a University of Florida student got tasered after disrupting an appearance by Senator John Kerry.
The video evidence plainly shows that police had no good reason to zap him, considering he appears to be handcuffed, on the ground, and surrounded by about a half-dozen uniformed officers. But it also looks to me like this kid was going out of his way to make a scene and was egging on the blackbellies by acting like Dennis the Constitutional Peasant in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (“Help! Help! I’m being repressed! Come see the violence inherent in the system!”). I’ve also heard that Andrew Meyer, the student in question, is a known provocateur who butted his way to the front of the line so he could harangue Kerry, and that he had arranged for someone to film him in hopes (presumably) of getting his 15 seconds of YouTube fame (Warhol overestimated the country’s attention span, in my opinion).
I think Jon Stewart probably nailed the situation when he called it, “An unfortunate combination of police over-reaction and what appears to be student douche-baggery.”
Still, whatever Meyer’s true motivations and regardless of where you may stand on the question of whether his civil rights were violated, he did get his moment on YouTube:
These days, that seems to be about all that matters, doesn’t it?
I was wondering when you’d put this up on your blog! Personally, I think it was an elaborate plot to get people to stop talking about Chocolate Rain.
Here’s one right up your alley. Not very well executed, but the concept is pretty good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdpr-fWK–s&mode=related&search=
Two points: busy couple of weeks, hence the time delay in posting about this, and the dearth of posting in general… and what the hell is Chocolate Rain?
Oh, and I loved your video clip, Robert. It’s so obvious, and yet it works perfectly!
This explains all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_rain
The parody videos are half the fun, so don’t miss ’em.
I must be incredibly unhip. I don’t get it.
What’s so funny about an Urkel-clone singing a song with ridiculous and obscure lyrics in a voice that doesn’t seem to fit his face?
I think this is one of those times when trying to explain it won’t make it funnier. “Don’t Tase Me, Bro!” is much funnier–and more quotable.