A video recently came out of a group of suposedly rich people watching the Wall Street protestors from a balcony above while they enjoyed champagne and laughing at the protest (starts at 50 second mark).
Now, I have no clue who those people actually were, for all we know they aren't rich at all but rather were simply at an after-work function or a wedding reception. Plenty of average folks dress up and can look 'rich' for special occasions.
Heck, for all we know the guy in the video who was laughing had just finished telling his buddy "Those wall street fat cats are really going to get it now."
In fact, most rich people wouldn't find the protest that interesting. The super wealthy tend not to be 'gawkers', they have more entertaining things to occupy their attention in life. Generally speaking it's middle-class folks that can't turn away from a spectacle.
This is one of the problems with video, it doesn't always tell the real story.
It's also an example of why people need to think about the context in which they find themselves. It's almost absurd to say that walking out onto a balcony to see what's going on below is not a smart thing to do, but in the era of social media and video, you have to ask yourself that question now - you have to ask 'how would this look on video and could it be taken out of context?'
You don't want your face plastered over YouTube, especially if it's a misrepresentation of who you are. It may sound melodramatic, but those people in the video will probably end up being confronted by someone who recognized them from the video over the next few weeks. And even if it doesn't happen, I guarantee you they will see the YouTube video and will be worried about whether their safety is at any risk.
Wrong place, wrong time, wrong context and with a little video an average person can suddenly find themselves with a big problem on their hands.
Personally I think posting the video on YouTube was irresponsible and wrong. While the odds of danger are minimal the video nonetheless puts those people filmed in harms way.
I mean, just look at some of the comments on YouTube (yes, YouTube comments are often extreme, but rarely this extreme):
See if they are laughing when we stick their heads on pikes and their bodies hang from lamp posts.
Molotov cocktails should have been what they were sipping on!
Molotov Cocktail to that balcony. Burn the vermin.
Hope you scumbags on the balcony are ready for the guillotine.
It would be nice if we still lived in a world where you didn't have to worry about waking up one morning and finding yourself on YouTube being accused of mocking poor people, but alas, case in point, it can happen.
So when you find yourself in a circumstance where everyone has their iPhone out video taping things, stop and think for a second as to whether you want to be a part of the story. If not, then avoid the cameras, because social media can be dangerous.
Now, I have no clue who those people actually were, for all we know they aren't rich at all but rather were simply at an after-work function or a wedding reception. Plenty of average folks dress up and can look 'rich' for special occasions.
Heck, for all we know the guy in the video who was laughing had just finished telling his buddy "Those wall street fat cats are really going to get it now."
In fact, most rich people wouldn't find the protest that interesting. The super wealthy tend not to be 'gawkers', they have more entertaining things to occupy their attention in life. Generally speaking it's middle-class folks that can't turn away from a spectacle.
This is one of the problems with video, it doesn't always tell the real story.
It's also an example of why people need to think about the context in which they find themselves. It's almost absurd to say that walking out onto a balcony to see what's going on below is not a smart thing to do, but in the era of social media and video, you have to ask yourself that question now - you have to ask 'how would this look on video and could it be taken out of context?'
You don't want your face plastered over YouTube, especially if it's a misrepresentation of who you are. It may sound melodramatic, but those people in the video will probably end up being confronted by someone who recognized them from the video over the next few weeks. And even if it doesn't happen, I guarantee you they will see the YouTube video and will be worried about whether their safety is at any risk.
Wrong place, wrong time, wrong context and with a little video an average person can suddenly find themselves with a big problem on their hands.
Personally I think posting the video on YouTube was irresponsible and wrong. While the odds of danger are minimal the video nonetheless puts those people filmed in harms way.
I mean, just look at some of the comments on YouTube (yes, YouTube comments are often extreme, but rarely this extreme):
See if they are laughing when we stick their heads on pikes and their bodies hang from lamp posts.
Molotov cocktails should have been what they were sipping on!
Molotov Cocktail to that balcony. Burn the vermin.
Hope you scumbags on the balcony are ready for the guillotine.
It would be nice if we still lived in a world where you didn't have to worry about waking up one morning and finding yourself on YouTube being accused of mocking poor people, but alas, case in point, it can happen.
So when you find yourself in a circumstance where everyone has their iPhone out video taping things, stop and think for a second as to whether you want to be a part of the story. If not, then avoid the cameras, because social media can be dangerous.
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