Viral Video Genius Spoof & Survival of the Happy People
Viral Video Genius, my first featured video, was unintentionally and subconsciously spoofed by self-proclaimed Phenomena, MrSafety, in “How I Became Popular on YouTube.”
Well, we’ve all jumped the shark at some point. But in fairness, Cory will survive a YouTube nuclear war because he’s a human cockroach. And I mean that in a good way. You see, they’re the species that has survived the longest. And Cory’s unfettered optimism and persistence fortifies him for the cruel world of online video. While we all find cynicism amusing, the peeps flock to positive and consistent fun, or there wouldn’t be a Fred, MrSafety, HappySlip or Whatthebuck.
Long after they find my gnarly body in an Alaskan bus, Cory will be getting 5 stars for reading bad poetry while giving an old lady a foot massage. What, Cory? With tags like those, you didn’t expect to get a collect call from humility? Actual tags from the video: youtube celebrity internet famous celebrities fame popular popularity viral phenomena smpfilms SMP Films Cory Williams
I find positive energy and humility two of the most admirable traits in humans (after the basics of love, honesty, etc.). I often mock ego because I find it so curious and humorous. That said, most of us live somewhere in the middle of the miserable sarcasm of a “hater” and the child-like dreamers like Cory.
While we often are annoyed by — and even resent — the latter, it’s usually the surviving entity. Look at the popular YouTubers and you’ll find it hard to argue that point. The critics attract a temporary bond with fellow critics, but it’s made of cheap mortar (to quote Steve Covey). The Secret and other positive-attraction books will convince you that positive thought attracts like positive thought, and is more powerful than negativism. Pat Condell, as an example, will always have an audience for sarcastic athiest blogs but it’s not nearly as sustainable and scalable as the innocent fun of Fred or HappySlip.
In a comment that will undoubtedly upset my Republican family, this is why I believe (without looking at polls) that Obama will be our next president. Even if you agree with McCain’s ideals, you can’t argue that he’s a cranky bastard — with a temper and disdain that is rude and detached. The resistence to shake Obama’s head was the nail in his coffin. His only hope is that the nation will see in Palin the opposite polarity. After all, she’s the Cory of politics.
$50 for the first person who can transcribe this manually.
There is no way I’m gonna watch an 8 minute Mr. Safety video. Even I have standards.
He should have put “douchebag” in the tags.
I don’t watch Mr. Safety, but after listening to his vlog he seems sincere. At least he was being honest.
I agree with what one of his commenters said though. I miss the old Nalts. There I said it! Off my chest! Whew! (I’m going to go stand in the corner and talk to myself, sobbing uncontrollably)
@1 and 2, Do you guys ever sleep?
sukatra, I’d figure you’d be working for Comcast. They handle customer service throught Twitter. Seemed like a perfect match!
Comcast customer “I’m having trouble with my service”
sukatra @Comcast customer “BITE ME!”
@4, yes, I often do. My meds are out of whack and I’ve been working too much. Yesterday, 4.5 hours. Today is going to kill me.
I think you mispoke/mistyped McCain certainly would have shaken Obama’s head if he was given the chance; I believe you meant to say his hand.
@ 4
1. No.
2. I’ll send them my resume.
he’s right, at some point you have to move on and evolve. Remember no one likes a party pooper [click]
I like to say I am a happy skeptic. I don’t like making stuff look hopeless (though sometimes I do) because there is always hope.
But am I positive in subject matter? Heck no. I go after negative stuff hardcore. But my subscribers do not share a temporary bond with me. While they may not be in the tens of thousands, I get a lot of mail from repeat viewers and have a few that have kept in contact from seeing me on other stuff years ago. So I would say the statement about the temporary bond depends on what you are saying.
Rush Limbaugh, the biggest, most negative person I can think of off the top of me head has a HUGE following.
@9
pretty much cynicism gets one hardcore followers, whereas happiness and hope gets one a bunch of softcore followers?
Just a few thoughts about McCain-
I feel terrible having to watch him listen to people at rallies shout out things like “kill him”. And yesterday he had to wait as some guy spouted off about how mad he was that the “Socialist hooligans” were taking over. Despite his crusty disposition, I think even he has been taken aback by these outbursts.
I actually gave money to McCain in 2000, but ended up voting for Gore. Before Super Tuesday, McCain was an attractive candidate. Unfortunately, the sleaze-balls derailed his campaign with hideous smear tactics in South Carolina. Now McCain represents those sleaze-balls.
His heart doesn’t really seem in it this time. It must be a heavy burden to have to be the standard-bearer for such an angry, pessimistic, cynical lot. Perhaps my sympathy is wasted, though. Maybe McCain is just the right guy for them.
Optimism is a trait everyone enjoys, and having a positive outlook can be in itself the drive that keeps you sane through the tough times.
My favorite board game is Monopoly. I own dozens of different editions, I know all the statistical odds of landing in certain spaces, rolling certain numbers, and I’ll gladly give you Boardwalk and Park Place for the orange or red monopolies. I also know the history of the game.
Monopoly was invented by Charles Darrow in 1933, and by 1936, it was the fastest selling and most popular game in the world. Now, if you’ve had a 9th grade education, you recognize that 34-36 was what some people call “The Great Depression” or in other words “Money was a LOT tighter than it is in 2008”. So why, when people were losing their life savings, homes, and more, were people moving in droves to buy this board game?
Some people might chalk up the games success as simply being an escape from reality,I think most of the reason had to do with the optimistic message of the game, along with the hope it offered it’s players. The game embodied the message that given the same chances as anyone else, You could be the one to make it big and become the next robber baron yourself.
And I think that’s why YouTube is so popular. It levels the playing field. I can become popular. I can promote myself and produce content. I can draw in a following, despite my obvious lack of any quantifiable talent..
Good cheer does sell. If you can offer it, especially when everyone else has been bitten by the bitter bug, you’ll be like a magnet in the tougher times.
YouTube is a beautiful thing. The internet is a beautiful thing. Because they both level the playing field.
Nothing makes me angrier than those that act or feel as though they are somehow better, more valuable human beings simply because they possess some skill or some information that someone else lacks. The Internet allows more people than ever before to access information that they would not have been able to otherwise. As mediocre as much of the content is, at least it takes away some of the luster and exclusivity that celebrities and public officials have used to justify their feelings of entitlement.
@11,
I think if Mike Huckabee had made it, it would have been a lot more interesting a race, as he has some good ideas and doesn’t like to do smear campaigns. Alas, poor Huckabee, I knew him well.
@12,
Insanely long posts somewhat related to the blog topic? Keep this up and people will start calling you Jan2
@14
I always thought Huckabee was possibly the most dangerous candidate the Democrats could have faced. Reaganesque and likable.
@12
I saw an episode of History Detectives, I think it was, on PBS a few years ago, in which they checked out a real old version of Monopoly that some guy found. I don’t remember it very well, but it was interesting at the time. Maybe you happened to see it too.
@10, it’s quite possible. Hardcore is better than softcore any day.
Heh…
@17,
Sicko. 😀
@16,
I didn’t see that episode, but now I might have to see if I can find it online. I would LOVE to own one of the original Monopoly games. Aside from being a perfect centerpiece for my collection which includes versions you can’t get in an average store, such as:
-The US Army version they only sell on Military bases
-The .com edition from 2000, where Google isn’t even on the board and the Boardwalk spot is Excite@Home (LOL!)
-The Hebrew version, which is entirely printed in Hebrew, right down to the currency, and only available in certain parts of the middle east.
I could also sell an original board game and not worry about working for a year or two.
Ah Monopoly, my personal drug of choice…
@18
I used to play solitary Monopoly for hours and hours and hours when I was a preteen in Colorado. I wish I would’ve known then what a trillion dollars was.
As for the subject of this post, make a disturbed monkey waiter marries Sarah Palin’s granddaughter music video to guarantee yourself a spot in the top 100 (click).
Hard to know whether to feel proud of McCain today, or to feel like “serves you right.”
Today, he defended Obama in front of a crowd of Republicans and was booed.
You guys shoulda picked Huckabee…
After all, Chuck Norris is the most powerful force in the universe.
Republicans are responsible for the mess we are in now. Just keep that in mind on November 4th.
That’s all I got.
@22
That’s enough.
LOL! I am happy, knowing my post helped turn useful responses into political mish-mashing.
The thing is Mary Lynn (and all of us), we need to remember that it’s not republicans who screwed stuff up, nor is it democrats (who’ve been in control of the legislative branch for the last couple years) who screw up stuff.
It’s people.
There are some awful republicans out there who probably shouldn’t be in politics. But on the same note, there are some damn good Republicans out there who could make a difference for the better. And the same goes for democrats.
Too many people have been fooled (usually by their own political party, ironically) into thinking that political lines are a cookie cutter. “Republicans are red and democrats are blue” is the mantra, and by believing that, people forget that there are really a million shades of purple between red and blue, and some blues are really pretty while others are ugly.
The beauty of our freedom to elect our leaders, a freedom that has been paid for by the blood of so many patriots before us, is that we don’t have to pick one or the other. We don’t have to pretend we’re a bunch of autonomous machines that have a switch with only three settings: Red, blue, or Nader.
I’m not a man of many political convictions, and I NEVER try to push my political views on others, but the one thing I will always do is encourage people to put thought into their voting. Quit listening to the polls and the political ads. Ignore sensationalist media and anyone who favors one candidate over another for superficial reasons. And when November comes, don’t vote based on political affiliations. Don’t vote based on the ads on TV. Don’t vote based on your family who will disown you if you vote against their views. Vote based on your brain, and what you know is right.
Ack, I need to get off this soapbox. The problem with being one of those guys in the middle is that both sides usually wind up hating you. On a closing note, I will say that I don’t care who anyone here votes here. Vote Obama. Vote McCain. Heck, write in Mike Huckabee. You’ll all still be my friends. But please, if you love the freedoms this country has given you, and respect the patriots who gave their lives to protect it, get out there and vote!
@24
Seriously, this is the last time I’m asking. Can you keep your posts a little shorter? You stupid independents are all alike. Morons.
Vote Obama!
All the cool kids are doing it!
Yes! Vote Obama! I’m waiting for my wealth redistribution check from him!
Is that how it works? They’ll take the money from the rich, and then just cut you a check? Wow.
We can’t let that happen. Let’s kill him!
@Mike
Please wait until AFTER I get my check and free mortgage entitlements.
@Jim – sounds like someone is ready to join the Extremist Moderate movement. I’ll get you a form.
At this juncture, I’m the only extemist moderate… It’s lonely.
@29
No, we’re gonna “bomb Obama” right now! You’ll get those mortgage entitlements no matter who is in office.
Hey, wait a minute! Your house is paid for. And you don’t need that check because you have a basement full of MRE’s and Spam. You can tell us the REAL reason you don’t like him. It’s OK. We all know he’s a terrorist Muslim.
@31,
No he’s not. McCain said so himself. LOL!
@30,
Being in the middle is a good place to be. You get to pick the best from both sides of the table, and you can make fun of all the candidates. 😀
A word to Nalts-
Kevin, look at the last 12 posts or so. This will happen every time you mention something political in your blog between now and November.
I’m not sure why I pointed that out. I had a point, but somewhere between “last 12 posts” and “now and November” it wandered off. It’s probably over at the latest ADHD blog posting. I’ll go check.
@32
Was I wrong? Who cares? Why bring facts into it at this point?
Speaking of facts, here are some:
Obama hangs out with terrorists
Obama is a Muslim
Obama is un-American
That’s what John and Sarah would lead us to believe. So come on! Those crowds at the rallies are ready! LET’S GET HIM!!!
Hey! I just realized that under McCain’s mortgage buy-out plan, lenders would be rewarded, and taxpayers would end up being penalized!!!
Kill McCain!
Gay marriage legal in Connecticut!?
The pinkos and liberals are taking over! Get your guns ready.
L
O
L
My 4 and 1/2 year old son has learned well from his dad how to be an instigator. He keeps telling us that he hopes John McCain wins.
There are no queers in Connecticut. They all got on the Acorn bus and went to Ohio to commit voter registration fraud.
@31
Yes, comrad, my mother’s house is paid up, but I want my own house….one that is not haunted and falling apart and one that is not located next door to violently ignorant procreating tire-burning redneck hillbillies.
And I need that check to buy the gas for the SUV I am entitled to. I want a blue one, Obama, with spinners, underlighting, hydraulics and a cattlescoop.
@37
Why? Because McCain looks like grandpa while Obama looks more like that shifty guy who comes visiting mommy when daddy’s not home?
Hahaha! Sorry, Mike. I just couldn’t resist.
I wondered why my son has an ‘fro…
“an ‘fro” ?
I need to sleep more!!1!1
@38
No, they went to Indiana. By God, that state is going Blue this time.
They could do the world a favor and take a hike:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIkE0pNLj80
When the FBI comes to your door asking you guys why you keep making threats against McCain and Obama’s lives, just make sure you get it all on cam.
Dear Mr. Homeland Security Guy,
Please realize that any references in previous posts to “kill Obama” or “kill McCain” are just lame attempts at sarcasm and satire. You know, like “bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.” If you don’t, and you show up at my house to arrest me, you are a douche-nozzle.
Sincerely,
Mike
@43
That looks like fun!
When your knowledge of politics is limited to checking out the recent Palin spoofs on the homepage of YouTube, you ought to keep your opinions to yourself.
You talkin’ to me?
Alright then 47, what are the important aspects of this election that we failed to touch upon?
Or are you just gonna make more tough-guy declarations?
Go ahead. Make my day.
L
O
L
Free speech, big boy! Free speech.
Speaking of the YouTube homepage, check out the video of Sarah getting booed in Philly.
For more good news, check out fivethirtyeight.com
Support more high risk “loans” to low credit po people like me paid for by you scumbag taxpayers by voting Democratic. Barney Franks and Santa Dodd want you to.
I was talking to Nalts, who would never have the attention span to listen to, e.g., this: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KxhYampIl7A
@50 The Philly fans booed Santa Claus one year. They’re hardly discriminating: http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Baseball/article/514473
@ 52
Oh yeah, that guy.
I like how he goes on about how it’s the blacks who like “being victims” who are voting for Obama.
I wonder what he would say to the millions of middle-class whites who feel abandoned by the Republican party that are going to vote for Obama? THEY are the ones that are going to decide this election. Why do you think Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Virginia are in play for Dems this time? That’s right. Whitey!
@53
They weren’t booing. They were saying “BOOBS!” for obvious reasons.
And just in case you’re too lazy to search for it, here’s that site again:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
You can check out the races in those states I was talking about yourselves.
FYI [click]
“…Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President of the United States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully otherwise makes any such threat against the President, President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.”
Pathetic.
I’ll save y’all the trouble, and print this crap out and take it to the proper authorities, and we’ll just see what happens.
Let’s see now–
I’ve never been arrested
Don’t own a gun
Belong to no radical groups
Already explained myself to the douche-nozzle
I’m serious. I’m printing it now. This is good stuff. And my wife will like reading what you guys write. She’s heard a lot about this already.
Let me just add-
Hook ’em Horns!
What’d he say?
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AKjzqYpfrdw
Alright, now I have all twelve pages printed out. Now that I have all of this in a tangible form, it really seems like a bunch of garbage. I’ve got to get a different hobby. I know that whoever I show this to will look at me like I’m an idiot, like my wife did.