There’s that controversial video out there. The girl in the red hoodie reaches into a bucket full of newborn puppies, and gleefully tosses them into the river. Maybe you’ve seen it. It originated on Youtube but obviously it was pulled for its shocking content. If you search the video on Youtube you won’t find it, but rather you’ll find about a million “reaction” videos. And they’re all basically the same. They all seem to start off the same way, like, “I accidentally clicked on it” or “someone sent me the link and I didn’t know what it was,” which is bullshit. No one seems to want to admit that they enjoy being shocked by such content. And enjoy even more being able to rant in a 5 minute video, describing what they saw, and how it sickened them, and how that girl in the red hoodie is evil and should be brought to the authorities, or in some peoples’ opinions, should be thrown into the river herself. I’ve seen several of these reaction videos and it’s all pretty much the same damn opinion, to one degree or another. It’s amazing how much people can talk and talk without really even saying anything of substance. These same people usually provide their Vlog rant with a thumbnail of the “Twisted Girl” video, in order to trick people like themselves with a sick desire to see the shocking footage to get some hits. These same people provide a link to the original video on Liveleak. These same people probably get up in the morning, throw on their Nike shoes which were made in sweatshops where innocent children are forced into hard labor with little pay, then drive their cars which contribute to the death of the environment, then hit up the McDonald’s drive-thru for some McNuggets, which probably only contain about 75% real dead animal anyway, but at least chickens aren’t cute, right?
I did see the video but I can’t say it shocked or affected me in any particular way. Obviously, I don’t condone the killing of innocent puppies, but it just amazes me how outraged people will get over some dead puppies while worse things are going on in the world right as you read this sentence. And of course you have the people who get so angry they say things like “the fucking bitch should be killed,” which is astonishingly hypocritical for one thing, and no one seems to want to consider this girl’s circumstances. It’s really easy to label her as a sick, twisted bitch. It’s really more of a way to make yourself feel better. Already there are plenty of “suspects” as to who this girl is. Some say she’s a girl from Bosnia, others say Germany, others say Croatia, etc. etc. It’s the fucking Legend Of The Twisted Puppy Tosser. Maybe a scenario of something like her being in a poor, war-torn country, with an outraged father who threatens to beat her if she doesn’t get rid of the puppies, and the family dog can’t afford to be neutered, and there’s no convenient humane society 3 blocks away, and tossing the puppies into the river was at least a better alternative to smashing their little heads in with a rock, and she thought it was humane enough and had an oddly sunny demeanor about the whole thing, and made the mistake of letting someone film it just didn’t come to mind. I’m not defending this girl, I’m just trying to do some lateral thinking. It’s far too easy to believe people are twisted and evil, and nothing more.
Another reason why my reaction wasn’t too strong is probably because I’ve just grown too cynical. I don’t believe a goddamn thing I see on the internet or TV, really. What are the chances that within a week we’ll be finding out that there was a whole production team behind the video, and that the puppies were state-of-the-art CGI, and that the girl in the red hoodie is a part-time model and aspiring actress, and that 20 second video cost 1.5 million dollars to make, but damnit, it got a lot of hits, because people just love to be shocked, and of course, cute animals dying is the taboo of taboos. In this day and age when anything can be doctored, you need to use your discretion. I thought that “Scarface School Play” video was legitimate at first. And that video of the girl who had the terrible reaction to the flu shot sent shivers down my spine. It turned out to be complete bullshit. There’s that woman who quit her job over a series of photos “sent to the office,” that urban legend of the girl who accidentally sent her dad a text that she just lost her virginity, there was LonelyGirl, a pioneer in the internet hoax department, and plenty more. It’s shocking how little things have changed since Orson Welles’ infamous “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast. People will believe anything.
Instead of watching all these shocking internet videos and voicing your useless, generic opinions about it on your vlog, try exercising different areas of your brain other than the sections that can only express shock and disgust. Try some critical thinking. Try reading a book or something. Last time I checked, libraries still carry The Bible. It’s a good read, and very satisfying if you want to see animals have the upper-hand on humans for once: those lions tear the Christians a new one.
Hi, this is Derek. 