Roiled Up About Rick Rolling

The 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.

It’s Your UnLucky Day

Here are some hilarious videos that needed their own absurdity-schadenfreude list.

Feel free to post others as you see fit.

1. Bird Poops In Mouth

Ahh the perils of journalism. This video cannot be explained in words; just watch.

2. The Grape Lady

This poor woman tries to demonstrate how to crush grapes with her feet, but ends up flat on her face. I only feel right laughing about this because I know it is something that would happen to me. The noises she makes while writhing in pain are ridiculous - close to what a constipated dolphin under the ocean might sound like. The commentary by the reporters after they cut from the scene are also entertaining.

3. Watch the Kiddies

Poor girl, she just wanted to bust a move. Hold your breath - the good part is at the very end.