YouTuber sentenced to prison after video 'humiliating' homeless man with toothpaste Oreos

[Sassybluesy]

I've never liked videos involving homeless people. I don't like the self-ingrandizing, "Oh look at me being nice to a down and outer! I'm such a great guy!" and meanwhile the poor homeless guy has to sit there and try to make the best of it, so he can eat a damn sandwich.


Meanwhile, all the viewers of said video are supposed to sing the praises of the person handing a sandwich to a homeless guy.

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by Katie the heartbreaker

The punishment does not fit the crime. The homeless man was not injured in this prank while he was given $22 by the youtuber. He should be punished, but 15 months in prison and $22,000 is way too excessive.

We may not have the whole story. He might be violating probation, or the man he pranked might have been violently allergic to that brand of toothpaste or something. There are a lot of possibilities.

[D. Scott]

Originally Posted by Sassybluesy

I've never liked videos involving homeless people. I don't like the self-ingrandizing, "Oh look at me being nice to a down and outer! I'm such a great guy!" and meanwhile the poor homeless guy has to sit there and try to make the best of it, so he can eat a damn sandwich.


Meanwhile, all the viewers of said video are supposed to sing the praises of the person handing a sandwich to a homeless guy.

I agree. The video is less about helping a homeless person, and more about hits and increasing the reputation of the filmmaker. It's like cheap PR. Plus, that act should be the norm as supposed to a special, filmed event. It's not though, partially due to people's faces being buried in their smartphones, sometimes watching these very videos! Many are in their own world. Had to alert 3 people the last two days to not walk into the truck backing up in the building loading zone.

[Jowel]

Originally Posted by Labonte18

We're getting to the point where society is legitimately saying "Yeah, I don't understand someone getting a 20+ year sentence for pot", but still have people cheering a 15 month sentence for filling an oreo with toothpaste.

Prison should be reserved for people that society needs protection from. Can't see that guy qualifying.

I think more people are happy about it just due to the fact the guy is getting his comeuppance.. Which I do understand.. But at some point you do have to step back and say "Gee, maybe I don't need to use a bazooka to deal with that damn squirrel eating out of my birdfeeder." While I'm sure that would feel good and would deal with the squirrel.. You're probably just creating more work for yourself for that moment of satisfaction.

I disagree. He exploited one of society's most vulnerable for his own sick gratification, publicized it, and did so to make a profit (widely viewed Youtubers earn revenue from ads). And what's to stop someone like this from escalating their behavior? Have you not heard of the "Tide Pod Challenge", where people stupid enough to ingest this got themselves into serious medical trouble because of a stupid Youtube craze? What would keep someone like this convict from putting laundry detergent in the man's food, or Xanax, because he's getting egged on from his "fans" to "push it up a notch"? I don't see a functioning sense of right and wrong coming from someone like this to know what an appropriate boundary for behavior is, so I'm gong to go with the premise that he is someone society needs protection from.

Originally Posted by ClaraC

Who watched the movie Borat?

This is DEFINITELY not worse than the pranking that Borat did.

And it was made into a very successful movie.

This incident isn't comparable to a movie because a movie was a much more controlled environment, among professional actors who knew what they were getting into. This is real life, Borat was make-believe.

Originally Posted by Cliffie

We may not have the whole story. He might be violating probation, or the man he pranked might have been violently allergic to that brand of toothpaste or something. There are a lot of possibilities.

Yes, exactly, these are all possibilities, and it's more than an innocent "prank" as mentioned in the first part of my post.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by ClaraC

So really, the original article was purposely misleading.

He was apparently sentenced for the whole body of his work, including feeding feces to the elderly and children.

Sometimes, if something doesn't seem right, it's because it isn't.

I'm glad to see this update - makes complete sense. And shame on the author of the first article for purposely hoodwinking.

Thanks for taking the time to read the updates. Yes, with stuff like this, there usually is more to the story, unfortunately. Yahoo News usually just skims the surface.

[ClaraC]

Originally Posted by Jowel

This incident isn't comparable to a movie because a movie was a much more controlled environment, among professional actors who knew what they were getting into. This is real life, Borat was make-believe.



Yes, exactly, these are all possibilities, and it's more than an innocent "prank" as mentioned in the first part of my post.

It appears you didn't watch Borat. Unsuspecting, sweet natured people who were completely humiliated.

He was pranking everyone.

No, those who appeared in his film did NOT know what was happening to them.

Or maybe, it was Borat's YouTube I watched, where he humiliated everyone who came in contact with him. In a hilarious but very uncomfortable way.

Because frankly, his YouTube made me uncomfortable enough to not watch his movie.

[ClaraC]

I have to say. I just went to YouTube to see Borat, and it's the funniest thing - and most uncomfortable thing - I've ever seen.

Genius.

[ClaraC]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Thanks for taking the time to read the updates. Yes, with stuff like this, there usually is more to the story, unfortunately. Yahoo News usually just skims the surface.

Yep.