In the wake of my post the other day, that photograph of the “tragedy selfie” gaggle has gone viral to the extent that it's leapt offline and into print, specifically the cover of the New York Post, emblazoned with the predictable-albeit-entirely-applicable headline, “Village Idiots.”
Personally speaking, I’m solidly of the opinion that these ladies have earned all the scorn they’re currently enjoying (scorn being the operative word when it comes to the readership of the Post). That said, I have encountered a few people inclined to let them off the hook. While I applaud the impulse towards forgiving kindness, I can’t say I share the opinion. I don’t believe smiling is an instinctual reaction when a camera is raised. It only takes a nanosecond to recognize the context of a situation and discern that it demands respect. More to the point, not every situation begs for a friggin’ selfie.
Anyway, I’ve already covered all that. No, the reason I’m posting today is that I came across the little clip below on YouTube this morning, and felt compelled to share it here.
Much like the Murrays’ panoramic photograph of the affected strip of Second Avenue in that other post, the video below shares a fleeting glimpse of the same area circa 2007, when Love Saves the Day was still anchoring that corner. For that alone, this video is worth a glance.
Beyond that, this clip is pretty odious, featuring a somewhat cloying voiceover (the narrator has a hard time properly pronouncing gentrification) clumsily delivering some cringe-inducing, revisionist copy. I started jotting down the zingers that made my brow furrow, but there ended up being too many. Suffice to say, if you hate the same shit I do, it’ll probably ruin your day.
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