kata rokkar...

My Analysis of "41 Hours in an Elevator with Diarrhea" 05/04/2008

The internet has had it's fair share of 'caught-on-camera' phenomena; the Star Wars Kid is probably the most memorable. A high school kid who gets to live out his daily day-dream of being a Jedi by wielding a golf ball rod in front of a camcorder. I could give hundreds more examples but one recent one has caught my eye. It's the Man Stuck in an Elevator For 41 Hours video from the article on the New Yorker website. The original video itself is not anything surprising or horrifying. You are basically watching what would happen if anyone of us got stuck in an elevator for a long period of time. What really caught my attention was the parodies that followed. One in particular; The "41 Hours in an Elevator with Diarrhea" video (Above). The first time I watched the video, I was in tears with laughter for numerous reasons. It wasn't just that he was smearing his poo all over the elevator walls, it was his gradual fall into insanity and how the video made you sympathetic to his bizarre situation. After watching it a second time, I realized that this video isn't only hilarious, but interesting and kind of sad. I guess it was the fact that the "victim" was someone who seems somewhat 'average joe.' Maybe he's worked hard to get to the position at the GW Thurston Building or maybe he's someone who is interning there and on his 4th day, this happens. But the protagonist that we know as Jonathon White is put in an embarrassing situation that many would agree is the worst possible situation you could ever find yourself in. Diarrhea is horrible on it's own and so is getting stuck in an elevator, but both together adds a doomsday scenario that no one would wish upon anyone. Both unfortunate situations do not discriminate either; this could happen to anyone of us. That is why it is so easy to connect with the character. He's pushed to his limits, mentally and physically. So anyone watching the video is thinking, "I think I'd do the same thing..." The other emotional aspect of this video is the music, provided by Jennifer Haines. Jennifer Haines did the original New Yorker video, which was quite affective in making you feel sorry for the man stuck in the elevator. But the music in the parody video, which is the same piece, provides a sense of extreme desperation and batshit insanity. Even when you see Mr. White wipe his crap all over the walls and put on the same shirt he shat in, you pity him and at the same time, laugh hysterically at his misfortune. Maybe I'm looking too deeply into this...maybe it's just a low-brow video about a dude who gets stuck in an elevator with the Hershey-Squirts . But if you can; watch it again and then once more. Once you've done that, think to yourself; "When I'm at the end of my rope and vulnerable, what kind of craziness will I do when I get that point?" Well, lets hope it never comes to that. And if it does, hope no one is videotaping it.