By now everybody has seen the footage of that kid getting tasered at the University of Florida during a Q and A with John Kerry. I will not sully this fine blogspace with a link to it– Just Google “don’t taser me, bro” and you’ll be watching it in no time.

By accounts given by police, the kid was “giddy and excited” when he was taken into custody. Why wouldn’t he be? He was going to be famous as soon as his friends posted the video on You-Tube! This begs way too many questions about the changing nature of celebrity:

• The kid was incredibly well-rehearsed. His line-readings were a bit overmodulated, but he really sold some of the bits, especially when he got shocked. But I knew plenty of idiots growing up who would taser each other for the sheer hell of it– it’s never pleasant, but one can anticipate how much it’s gonna hurt. I for one was completely convinced by his performance– he really sold his persona as an a**hole kid who went out of his way to get tasered.

• It was a “Dying Swan” act. Football (soccer) players have these wonderful routines they go into– falling, screaming, rolling around, grimacing, etc.– when someone checks them or they trip. The idea is to draw a foul against the opposition. It’s a form of cheating, but one that for the time being seems to be tolerated in professional football leagues.

• The fact some news channels are making this incident an argument against the use of tasers by law enforcement speaks volumes about how risibly gullible and dully reactionary the MSM is becoming.

• My biz partner watched the video and noticed the kid NEVER cursed. Strange. When that other a**hole kid got tasered in the UCLA library about half-a-year ago, he cursed a blue streak, spoke in tongues, etc. Our “victim” was clearly swinging for the bleachers, hoping his act would get picked up by the broadcast nets. Good planning.

• It happened in FLORIDA. Almost every suspicious political act that has happened in this country in the last decade came from Florida. Was the kid an agent provocateur, a campus Republican out to discredit Kerry? Maybe the kid’s swift boat was in the shop.

Is this going the be the level of public discourse in this country? are we going to see more a**hole kids doing bizarre and selfish things during media events, more poor players who strut and fret their hour upon tiny flash-video stages, and are heard no more, except on Fox News?

–Skot C.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 21st, 2007 at 5:08 am and is filed under Acting, Digital Wonderland, General, News, Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.