Roiled Up About Rick Rolling
April 15, 2008 — dionysianprincessThe ever popular Internet prank of Rick Rolling has had its last laugh from me. As a small child who looked up gullible in the dictionary, I have had my fair share of “Rick Rolls” - especially in the past month since YouTube made it their April Fool’s joke.
Entire baseball teams, offices, list serves and individuals have all felt the wrath of Rick Astley by now. An April 2008 poll by SurveyUSA estimates that 18 million Americans have been rickrolled since its induction into Internet hall of meme-fame sometime during May 2007.
At first, I found the idea amusing. I thought, “Ok, funny. You disguise a credible looking link with another link that takes you to the YouTube video of the 1987 Rick Astley song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up.”
Fair enough, you got me, bait and switch accomplished. I saw, I clicked, I moved on.
However, as the fun continued way beyond the definition of funny, I have started to notice something peculiar - I almost always get “rickrolled” by men. Immature men to be honest, but male nonetheless.
I then realized that this whole rickrolling event reminds me a lot of the locker room behavior in high school when boys found it amusing to slap, hit, and pinch each other in inappropriate places.
I didn’t understand it then and I don’t understand rickrolling now.
But perhaps the Internet is just in it’s teenage years, and this is just one part of growing up….? A girl can dream - right? Sigh.
April 15, 2008 at 7:55 pm
fabulous call on the abundance of males engaging in rick rolling…. truthfully, I think they are jealous of his slick moves with the ladies, oh and his hair.
keep up the good work.
April 16, 2008 at 2:06 pm
There’s now a phone number that can be used to “Rick Roll” people 772-257-4501.
April 16, 2008 at 9:07 pm
well hopefully I can stand out as one of the more mature guys in the society. Some of us aren’t so imma…*gives you a wedgie and runs off laughing*
April 17, 2008 at 4:06 am
Men, women, people in general behave in an immature way because they usually feel inadequate about themselves when dealing with others.
Now I can’t get that darn song out of my head! Where you trying to Rick Roll us? That was very subliminal of you!
April 17, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I wish that there was that many [mainstream] people more aware of things that mattered, like Darfur, women’s rights in the middle east, educational and poverty levels here at home, etc.
Unfortunately, those issues aren’t sexy. And apparently Rick and ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ is
Here’s to awareness raising! And totally adding you to my blogroll next time I update!!
May 25, 2008 at 6:56 am
i wish there were more important songs out there that I could rickroll to. There’s a great one by this ’80s Darfurian band, “I’m Not Going to Be Living in Darfur in 5 Years.”
You know that one?
Lyrics:
“Ma’ambotuki selelisi tedunoeke,
Gamamamngda bisuto benda!”
Translation: “We like to BBQ each other when the lights are down.” How touching!