OldMiner's Journal: Unique Perspective?

There's a fair chance that you've already seen this video before I did. After all, Fark and PA already covered it, both in a fairly derisive manner. Just in case you missed it, there's a fairly rotund teenager attempting some staff techniques, or something. The video itself isn't terrible, and one definitely can't fault the kid for enthusiasm. But the video isn't the matter here.

Just like Andy Kaufman, this appears to tbe theatre which is more centered on the reactions of the audience than on the original material. And my initial reaction may show I'm a moron with no taste: He doesn't look that terrible. Sure, in the latter half of the video as he starts kicking out his feet a bit much and stumbling a bit more, he looks a little uncoordinated. But he realistically doesn't look that bad in my mind, and he's certainly putting some effort in, lack of proper training with a bo aside.

Others' commentary — others who are apparently my peers — seem decidedly more acid. Comments range from criticizing the fellow for his being overweight, to criticizing Star Wars in general, to just plain being an ass calling him whatever names necessary to exhaust a troll's vocabulary. I know sociologists say somethings or another about exclusion rituals being necessary for community building, but this sort of thing continually turns my stomach when I see it. And I've seen it a lot in the past couple years in online communities which are, agan, composed of my peers. Maybe I'm just a dork for not realising how ridiculous this gentleman actually looks and am equallty suitable for such ridicule.

But I sure hope not. I hope that what I'm seeing is the worst of what society has to offer, raised up in a ha-ha-only-serious fashion designed to make us take a closer look at our own reprehensible behavior. I hope Something Awful causes that skin-crawling in many other people. I hope this is a phase and not some kind of generation-defining trend. Criticize the apparent uber geek cruelly, brutally, for the purpose of humor, for the purpose of tying yourselves together into...what? Is this just an abberation caused by the fact that trolls are so easily allowed by anonymity or is it a microcosm?

This is rambly and disjointed. You'll pardon me. I should be studying for finals.