"'USA' Chant on NYC Subway FAIL"

From YouTube auteur bigjstokes comes this video, in which he fails to create much in the way of patriotic chanting (well, it was a Monday). His writeup:

Attempted the first "post-Osama" day. Look, I'm fully aware of how stupid I look and sound. I obviously went about this the wrong way, though I still don't see anything wrong with a little community patriotism particularly on such a day. I'm not really the guy I sound like on the video, I guess I was over-enthused. Here's some irony: all the COMPLETE STRANGERS saying awful things to and about me would do better to listen to the timeless lyrics of Michael Jackson and look at the man in the mirror, cause you all sound like scumbag assholes to me. I'm sure you're not really, just sayin… 

Hat tip: Meredith Bragg.

Comments

[Bingo]

This actually restores my faith in humanity.

[Nomic]

Though I'm morally opposed to killing anyone after he is in custody, Osama gets no sympathy from me. Still, I got the creeps seeing people partying over even an evil man's death.

[sage]

Look, I'm fully aware of how stupid I look and sound.

Tony?

[?]

In his defense, everyone in the loading still does look like an asshole.

[Cyto]

Was the audio dubbed in later like that humorist/singer with the kids? Nobody even blinks...

They did a bit on the radio in West Palm Beach and tried to get random people in public places to join in (on Tuesday). It didn't go well. They got one guy to join in, and he got to "U" before dropping out.

[Sean]

I don't think this is the case. Towards the end of the video one of the passengers holds what looks like a middle finger up close to the camera.

[JW]

Look, I'm fully aware of how stupid I look and sound.

No, I really don't think you are.

Baby steps and all that.

[Spiny Norman]

He was aware enough to comment on it, but not aware enough to keep from posting it to YouTube.

Humiliation optimization.

[JW]

Even worse, engaging Youtube commenters.

Have scientists classified that form of life yet?

[SugarFree]

Slime mold.

[JW]

That seems rather evolved.

[Tulpa]

Hey, I comment on YouTube.

[cynical]

OO

[cynical]

OO

[sage]

This may be worth using some of my precious mobile data plan to look at the video since I can't watch it from work. Or I suppose I could wait until I get home.

[kilroy]

Wait.

[Paul]

Unlimited, Sage, unlimited. Advice for next time.

[sage]

I know. It's teh expensive though. If I had unlimited I would have Pandora going all the time. Maybe next time.

[MLK JR]

I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy

[Destrudo]

Troll, I hope? MLK obviously never said this. Just another made-up "fact" only an idiot would believe. The kind of thing morons forward to each other via email.

[mark]

Well it's within the spirit of MLK's thinking.

[Libertymike]

How do you know that he "obviously never said this"?

[Comment Tater]

When narcissism bites back.

[Homer Simpson]

MONORA.... d'oh!

[Hazel Meade]

I don't quite understand why Reason can't just enjoy the moment.

Yeah, I'm not swinging from the lampposts and chanting USA, but at least I'm sharing the mood.

I don't think those people partying are just celebrating one man's death either. The death of bin Laden is more than just one guy's death.

One might, for a second, recognize that bin Laden's death is an opportunity to roll back the security state, set a plan to really close Guantanamo, and wind down the War on Terror.

But you guys seem too busy bemoaning stupid shit like the fact that we didn't take him alive to have started thinking about all that yet. When it weas immediately and instinctually apparent to everyone else.

[Tulpa]

One might, for a second, recognize that bin Laden's death is an opportunity to roll back the security state, set a plan to really close Guantanamo, and wind down the War on Terror.

I don't recognize that because it's not such a moment. You think for a second any of that is going to happen because of Osama's death?

[Libertymike]

Tulpa, you deserve some props for your posts the last couple of days on OBL, the raid and related issues.

[Hazel Meade]

It could certainly be USED as an ARGUMENT, and a pretty damn stong one for doing so.

People are tired of this shit, and they would like it to end. OBL being out of the picture makes it MUCH MUCH easier to convince them that the time has come for it to end.

But mooing about the legality of the death isn't going to do much to win any of them over.

We also have political developments in the Middle East that reduce the threat of terrorism. A better topic of discussion would be to move on to whether, after some limited period where AQ might retaliate, we can start considering the war over.

[R C Dean]

We also have political developments in the Middle East that reduce the threat of terrorism.

Its a little early to say. The Muslim Brotherhood could well wind up in power in Egypt, and Libya could be either (a) split between a Gaddafi with no reason to behave and the homeland of innumerable AQ fighters or (b) run by guys from the homeland of innumerable AQ fighters.

Until Syria and Iran fall and are replaced by decent governments, the threat of terrorism from a destabilized Middle East is probably greater, not less.

[Hazel Meade]

Until Syria and Iran fall and are replaced by decent governments, the threat of terrorism from a destabilized Middle East is probably greater, not less.

Really? Is it greater than in 1980, or 1990? Both of those governments were around then.

We're down one Iraqi dictator, and back to 1983 status with Quadaffi. Other than that, situation normal.

I think the big factor everyone is overlooking is the psychological effect that killing OBL will have for American popular opinion.

Sure, the neo-cons can make a rational argument that the threat of terrorism hasn't ended. Just as the left made the argument that it wasn't really any worse after 9/11. But none of that is going to matter. The American public is going to think "we killed him, so it's done", and want to get back to normal. The vast majority of them, anyhow. This is no different than the way the original attack galvanized people to support invading Iraq or the Patriot Act. Did anything change in real world terms? No. But people's minds did.

This is frontier justice. We killed the bad guy, now we go home and eat pie and never speak of it again.

[Tyler]

They bemoan it because none of those things will happen. This is already being called a success for "harsh interrogations" and Guantanamo. Its only going to get worse.

[Hazel Meade]

Fatalism is retarded.

There are plenty of good reasons why those things COULD happen if we actually made the argument.

But no, let's just lie down and bemoan the inevitiability of them not happening. No point in trying. No point in making an argument. Just lie down and die. It's all hopeless.

[El Foldo]

Now you've got it!

[Libertymike]

Yes, fatalism is retarded.

Yes, we should continue to strive for liberty and toward that end we can cite OBL's alleged death as reason to roll back the security state.

However, the day is never going to be won by appeasing statists. Killing then and throwing them in the ovens, yes.

[Hazel Meade]

Don't you mean killing them after capturing them and giving a fair trial in front of a jury of their peers?

[You know who...]

else killed people and threw them in the ovens...

[cynical]

At least he was nice enough to do the killing first.

[STEVE SMITH]

NOT ME. PREFER RAW.

[GILMORE]

I think people should remember that almost every day, some asshole starts talking to everyone on the subway, and everyone on the subway has their 'i am not here' mindset, due to thousands of occasions where someone is haranguing you for money, to get you to believe in their god, to respect their military service, to take pity on their misery, or whatever. And its almost always at 8AM or 6-7PM on the train, when everyone wants nothing else than for the whole world to leave them the fuck alone. But no - these people think they are suddenly MC's to a captive audience. The fact that this guy was *surprised* no one gave a fuck is what is surprising. He's probably a pretty short-timer new yorker, or if not, a total fucking idiot. Or both. Whatever.

Funny subway story:

Circa 1996, on a day when Rudy Guiliani was running a reelection campaign and happened to be standing outside the 86th street station shaking hands of the upper east side commuter crowd, I was waiting for the downtown 6 train, and every car that passed was full to the brim tokyo style. Finally, a car emerged that had a visible gap, wide open space, and i went for it. As the door opened, I step in and immediately recoil because in front of me there's a big fucking pool of blood. I looked around shocked at all the other passengers and they sort of glance at me and giggle and go back to their papers. I dance around the blood-pool and make a spot for myself nearby and pretend Im not interested in the issue. We get to the next station, and immediately everyone on the train drops their reading material to watch the door to see what the next person coming in is going to do. It was like a fucking comedy act. Every station the whole car was like, "shhhh!", and looking to see if the people coming in freaked out. I asked someone what the fuck all the blood was about and they were like, 'not sure... its just there'.... finally, at 42nd street, a cop walks in, looks down, goes, "holy shit!" and tells everyone to get off the car. Some guy says, "Oh, fuck. Just get a mop already". I was close enough to my destination I walked.

My point is, when you've lived in the city long enough, you simply don't get surprised by shit anymore. Most especially on the subway. My favorites frankly are the mariachi bands that rock the trains in the early morning hours on the weekends. I invariably give them a dollar just because I find the whole concept hilarious... plus, you can't hate mexican cowboys. I think that's a rule or something.

[GILMORE]

e.g.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhisJG9GRwE

[Greg]

If you're a woman, in a really crowded car there's even a halfway decent chance you'll get your back covered with semen

[Mr Whipple???]

Wow. What the Hell is wrong with NYers these days? This guy didn't get a firm assbeating?