Run Tell That....

In the Internets, things pop up out of nowhere. And certain things should stay there. The "Bed Intruder Song" is already a distant, trashy memory covered in advertisements, but I still feel like saying something.

Comedy is a slippery place. Certain things are funny that shouldn't be (The Plague, Civil War Surgery, Snooki) - And certain things aren't funny, but can be made to be funny (see previous examples). Comedy has the power to nearly overcome the grim realities of life, making things bearable. This is gallows humor in action; the alternative to this would be you, huddled into a corner weeping your bleary eyes out.

What bothers me about "The Bed Intruder Song" is this; The Gregory Brothers are talented and smart enough to make their own original music. Auto-Tune the News is totally unique and a great use of over-used technology. Their stance of pointing out the inherent silliness in broadcast news is spot on, and the fact that reporters are vultures also offers itself freely for satire. However, when a group of well-off, middle-class youngsters take an enraged TV interview from a man living with his family in the projects who's sister was almost raped, and then turn it into a musically whimsical, funny/riotous viral video occasion.....I gotta call bullsh*t!

This seems more like a tourist attraction rather than a creative endeavor. It's like they're giving people a glimpse of how "wacky" it is to be living below the poverty line. To people like the Gregory Brothers this scene is something so alien to them (living in gentrified Brooklyn does not count as "street smarts") that it strikes them as hilarious. Isn't it "funny" how he's talking about his sister's brush with sexual assault? I'm laughing at his hair and his teeth! He seems really angry...comedic gold. Granted, Mr. Dodson lends the camera some true character acting, but the content and the environmental context should have steered the Gregory Clan clear of this one.

But, the joke's on me....

Soon after the video became a sensation Antoine Dodson told reporters that it was funny he had a number one hit on ITunes and yet he still lived in the projects. Since then, Antoine has made enough money off of this song to get his family out of the Huntsville projects and into a new home. Now the question that's on my mind is - if I cared so much about the perceived injustice I saw in this whole scenario, and the people involved got rich; who's the asshole? Would I have liked for this person to remain suffering, silent and poor; or is it better for him to be exploited and then magically rescued by graduate students with GarageBand?

What constitutes a joke will forever be a mystery as well as how it is viral videos attain such cult status. Another man's trash is treasure. Ethics and comedy are not friends and never have been, and if fair and equitable comedy existed it would surely suck. This serves as a clear sign that with today's entertainment engine, people's stories serve as fuel and everyone with a broadband connection has their mouths around the muffler. In the end I suppose I'm upset because a few people are cashing in, while the rest of us are cashing out.