Relieved and Appalled.

I'm relieved because the latest decapitation video turned out to be fake:

SAN FRANCISCO - A video aired Saturday that purportedly showed an American being decapitated in Iraq (news - web sites) was a hoax.

The man shown in the video, reached by The Associated Press in San Francisco, said he videotaped the staged beheading at his friend's house using fake blood.

And I'm appalled because said video started out as, if I understand correctly, a freaking political ad:

Benjamin Vanderford, 22, said he began distributing the video on the Internet months ago in hopes of drawing attention to his one-time campaign for city supervisor. When his political aspirations waned, he thought the video would serve as social commentary.

I can bear 'social commentary', although in my experience a goodly number of things done with that moniker could be better described as 'socially acceptable ways to act like a schmuck in public'. And I don't really have - or want - any stronger negative feedback mechanism besides my public disapproval towards this guy; he'd no doubt argue that his minute-long recreation of a ritual decapitation was no different than the (for just one example) brief appearance of the flag-draped coffin in that Bush campaign ad, and although I'd disagree, well, free speech.

But I still get to be appalled. Mind you, nobody else has to be appalled, if they don't want to; this just may be personal revulsion on my part. One of the nice things about having a weblog; you get a venue for broadcasting that sort of thing.

Moe

Comments

[jeff]

If u were fortunate enough to live here in the SF area, surrounded by leftist nutters, nothing would surprise u. Believe me.

[James Casey]

I wonder what effect this will have, in that it's going to be more difficult to take future video announcements seriously. However, I'm not about to suggest Abu Musab al-Zarqawi et al will give up as a result...

[Opus]

You're not alone. I'm disgusted.

[Anarch]

Allow me to exercise my freedom of speech:

What an ass.

[praktike]

ot,

Moe - I heard on the radio this morning that the anthrax dude they busted in Wellsville, NY, was affiliated with UPMC Hospital in McKeesport ...

[Moe Lane]

"Moe - I heard on the radio this morning that the anthrax dude they busted in Wellsville, NY, was affiliated with UPMC Hospital in McKeesport ..."

Oh, crap. I hope that my girlfriend's grandmother doesn't use that one, because once she hears this she probably won't want to...

[praktike]

mum's the word.

[joe]

Hoaxers act with a variety of motivations, they've always been with us, always will. And I agree, Vanderford is an ass. But with just a tiny bit of skeptical inquiry our intrepid news media might have discovered the hoax before running it. They might have been tipped off by the 'copyright, Benjamin Vanderford' notice in the corner of the video, or they might have simply looked him up the SF directory and called him to ask if he'd been beheaded. Or maybe, they could've checked his friggin' web site before alerting the world to this senseless tragedy.
The funny part about this story is that some Islamic Fundamentalist webmaster picked up the video off of Kazaa and posted it. They're just as pissed as the western world's crack media fact checkers that they'd been duped. (http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/9345116.htm?1c) Apparently the jihadists would prefer to only post 'real' beheading videos, thank you. Little theory of mine, religious fundamentalism makes you more susceptible than most to being suckered.
Most media are reacting with outrage, OUTRAGE, that they've been duped. Embarrassment seems more appropriate.
-Joe.

[carsick]

Joe
Are you saying the American media is filled with religious fundamentists?
Finally, they have an excuse.