Comments on: Starts out kind of pathetic. Then it gets awesome.

Starts out kind of pathetic. Then it gets awesome.

The Devil Tesla — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:04:53 -0800

This is how you start a party. (SLYT) (via)

The video is of a lone dancer at the 2009 Sasquatch! Music Festival (wiki while the site is down) slowly gathering a party around him. He is dancing to the song Unstoppable by Santigold Now all that's left is to ask this question: What kind of party animal are you?

By: futureisunwritten

futureisunwritten — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:12:17 -0800

Not nearly as good as being there, I'm sure, but a kickass video nonetheless.

By: soundofsuburbia

soundofsuburbia — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:13:19 -0800

"Part of A&E's new series Great Accomplishments on Ecstasy" is a pretty great tag.

By: P.o.B.

P.o.B. — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:16:29 -0800

Man, I miss partying at the Gorge. When I saw the Beastie Boys perform there years ago, the whole fucking hillside was rocking!

By: TwelveTwo

TwelveTwo — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:17:07 -0800

It appears five is the maximum number of dancers for a minimum sized dance party, anymore and you risk an exponential explosion of participants.

By: Busithoth

Busithoth — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:18:27 -0800

Once it started metastasizing, I couldn't help but think of Katamari Damacy. They could've rolled down the hill together and consumed everything in their path. Unstoppable, indeed.

By: TwelveTwo

TwelveTwo — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:22:33 -0800

This natural law observed in the video may be generalized and more broadly applied to all participatory activities, but further research is necessary. Possible avenues of further exploration of this phenomenon include: Team Fortress 2 server population distribution, Favoriting behavior on Metafilter, alphabet thread success, total stray cats supported by an individual over time, and dead baby jokes.

By: P.o.B.

P.o.B. — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:22:43 -0800

They could've rolled down the hill together and consumed everything in their path.

By: a non e mouse

a non e mouse — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:22:50 -0800

The music sucked.

By: netbros

netbros — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:24:14 -0800

Must have been an earthquake too.

By: Evangeline

Evangeline — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:25:07 -0800

That's pretty awesome.

By: anthill

anthill — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:32:43 -0800

People don't dance no more, they just stand there like this.

By: iamkimiam

iamkimiam — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:34:20 -0800

oooh oooh! Can I have the 'total stray cats supported by an individual over time'?

By: Artaud

Artaud — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:36:33 -0800

This video made me very happy.

By: Artaud

Artaud — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:38:52 -0800

The part that made my happiest is the guy in the red undies and sunhat who charges in at at 2:17.

By: You Should See the Other Guy

You Should See the Other Guy — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:41:30 -0800

Thanks.

By: LeeJay

LeeJay — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:46:18 -0800

This video made me very happy. It made me happy too but then it made me a little sad. Like how many of those people had just been sitting quietly on the side of that hill, wanting to get up and dance but too scared they would be the only ones? This guy has it right: if you feel like dancing then dance! And don't give a shit that you're the only one or you might look silly. Chances are half the people around you want to do the exact same thing. Of course, drugs probably help.

By: humannaire

humannaire — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:48:44 -0800

THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!!!! THAT IS EXACTLY HOW IT'S DONE!! TESLA GOLD YES!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.....

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:49:28 -0800

Great metaphor for humanity. You can actually pinpoint the moment where the reaction "Look at those fucking idiots" becomes, "Shit, I'm not a fucking idiot, run and join."

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:50:01 -0800

577 views. You wonder how something like that gets posted anywhere.

By: nooneyouknow

nooneyouknow — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:50:09 -0800

That was awesome.

By: oddman

oddman — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:54:14 -0800

Um, maybe I'm having a cynical day, but all I could think of was "99.9% of people are sheep and can't even pretend to be carefree and joyful unless a bunch of other people are pretending to be carefree and joyful." The first guy was cool; all the rest are a bunch of posers.

By: PenDevil

PenDevil — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:56:01 -0800

Supposedly dancing guys YouTube account (his name's Colin).

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:00:32 -0800

THey all dance like they have colostomy bags.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:02:54 -0800

Gotta remember to plan for Lovefest 09 in San Fran... dance like you ain't got no inhibitions, 'cause at Lovefest San Fran it's unpossible to be the freakiest.

By: Gamien Boffenburg

Gamien Boffenburg — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:03:55 -0800

"The music sucked." Thanks for sucking. The joy. Out.

By: carter

carter — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:05:07 -0800

Well, I'll have one of whatever he had.

By: nooneyouknow

nooneyouknow — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:07:03 -0800

Um, maybe I'm having a cynical day, Maybe?

By: lenny70

lenny70 — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:11:20 -0800

I was having a lousy afternoon, but this video totally made my day. Thanks Devil Tesla for posting this.

By: Stonestock Relentless

Stonestock Relentless — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:18:06 -0800

You want cynical? while watching that my thought was "oh, look at these pale northwesterners i bet they are all thinking: 'let's go be on you-tube!'" It reminded me of that time Mr. Wizard dropped the ping pong ball into the box full of ping pong ball loaded mouse traps. (link not Mr. Wizard, but that's the same thing, realizing now that it must be a staple of "fun" science teachers)

By: digsrus

digsrus — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:21:10 -0800

It's a shame the first guy had to be killed and eaten before he could behold what he had wrought on YouTube.

By: Bageena

Bageena — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:24:39 -0800

I have a new hero.

By: Webbster

Webbster — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:26:46 -0800

It looked (to me) like the fat bloke and mates were taking the piss out of the bloke but it backfired. BIG TIME !

By: Meatbomb

Meatbomb — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:28:05 -0800

alphabet thread success The proper term is contagion.

By: gwint

gwint — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:36:59 -0800

Holy awesome. I don't think that shit was brought to you by T-Mobile. I love how at a certain point people need to be dancing in that pack so badly, they are sprinting to get there.

By: DU

DU — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:43:11 -0800

It's funny to me that they ran over there to dance. They couldn't dance on their own patch of grass, they had to be on his patch of grass (clearly it was greener). People, including me, are such sheep.

By: mkultra

mkultra — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:57:20 -0800

That put a huge smile on my face, thanks!

By: signal

signal — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:57:25 -0800

I've been that guy. Except nobody else started dancing. Good times.

By: exogenous

exogenous — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:58:39 -0800

Bonus: the mass of people shaded the first guy, thus sparing him an impending brutal sunburn.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:59:03 -0800

It's the HBO Screen-on-the-Green dance!

By: exogenous

exogenous — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:08:00 -0800

It's the HBO Screen-on-the-Green dance! .

By: dirtdirt

dirtdirt — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:15:43 -0800

I dug it. I am guessing that was a high point of that first fellers life.

By: malphigian

malphigian — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:17:00 -0800

Needs more technoviking.

By: rtha

rtha — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:18:41 -0800

Made me smile, too. Although I was also hoping that all the pale shirtless people remembered to wear sunscreen.

By: davejay

davejay — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:37:01 -0800

Marking this as a favorite in hopes I can use it to pop my kids' "I don't want to be the only one cuz I'd look stupid" bubble.

By: mikeinclifton

mikeinclifton — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:40:57 -0800

The best 3:06 of my day!

By: phrontist

phrontist — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:49:01 -0800

The trick is to close your eyes.

By: christhelongtimelurker

christhelongtimelurker — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:52:07 -0800

Made me smile.

By: Joseph Gurl

Joseph Gurl — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:54:02 -0800

I'm so glad I wasn't there because it might have caused me to spontaneously expire of cynicism and mean-spiritedness. I guess there's still a chance...

By: phoque

phoque — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:58:01 -0800

Sasquatch Dancing Guy Busting move?

By: Cold Lurkey

Cold Lurkey — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:08:00 -0800

People don't dance no more, they just stand like this they cross their arms, stare you down, and drink and moan and diss.

By: TwelveTwo

TwelveTwo — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:09:32 -0800

Maybe we are looking at this wrong. Perhaps he didn't start it, he was just ahead of his time.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:10:14 -0800

577 views. You wonder how something like that gets posted anywhere. I almost posted it but I was blinded by science. It was next on my list if someone else didn't get to it first. No, I'm not cooler than anyone. I just spend too damn much time on the net.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:11:47 -0800

Awww fuck yeah I love this guy. My guess is by the video in the OP people were recognizing him and going to party with him.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:12:34 -0800

he didn't start it, it was always burning since the world's been turning?

By: The Devil Tesla

The Devil Tesla — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:22:20 -0800

I almost posted it but I was blinded by science. It was next on my list if someone else didn't get to it first. I conceder the fact that I beat you to this the world paying me back for the indignities of the past.

By: mindsound

mindsound — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:24:55 -0800

This is inspiring.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:35:06 -0800

He's like the music festival version of the Tiananmen Square tank guy.

By: Pronoiac

Pronoiac — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:38:27 -0800

Like Katamari or like a dancing game that I really want to play. Recommendations plz?

By: fungible

fungible — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:53:25 -0800

God, that happens to me every day. I have to be careful, or I can bring entire cities to a halt.

By: P.o.B.

P.o.B. — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:06:50 -0800

If you've never danced with hippies or stoners, put it on your list of things to do before you die. You'll have a crapton fun and way more amusing than the posers sitting around watching.

By: futureisunwritten

futureisunwritten — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:07:20 -0800

In the immortal words of Otto Mann, "Whoa, I don't need drugs to enjoy this. Just to enhance it."

By: deadbilly

deadbilly — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:11:25 -0800

There is no party animal like the Uncia uncia (it's uncia uncia time)

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:20:26 -0800

Although I was also hoping that all the pale shirtless people remembered to wear sunscreen. It's the PNW. Burn time is 15 days.

By: freebird

freebird — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:42:15 -0800

I love how folks don't drift over - they come running, vaulting over sitters and leaping picnic spreads. Also how once the crowd becomes so huge everyone is just kinda back to milling around again. Metaphors on so many levels, and still just deeply fun. Great post!

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:53:01 -0800

It looked (to me) like the fat bloke and mates were taking the piss out of the bloke but it backfired. BIG TIME ! Looks to me like maybe they started out to make fun of him, but realized pretty quickly it was more fun to join in. Oh, and Cold Lurkey's link is great; the kid's mostly just trying out moves but when he gets into the flow like after 0:45 you can tell he's got something seriously amazing waiting to burst out.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:04:44 -0800

Sermons will be written about this YouTube video

By: Antidisestablishmentarianist

Antidisestablishmentarianist — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:13:34 -0800

Who likes to rock the party?

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:14:08 -0800

I kept expecting this to be a viral ad for a beverage.

By: the aloha

the aloha — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:16:46 -0800

Starts out kind of pathetic. Then it gets awesome. i disagree. this video goes from good to bad. it was most awesome in the beginning when the first dude was feeling the music and doing a dance inspired by how he felt at the moment. his dance was unique to himself and his own reaction to substances in his body and the music onstage. he was the unbridled celebration brought to life by dance. the second and third dudes came to mock the first dude's movements with their own superior sobriety/attitudes. their inability to do what the first dude was able to do was a direct result of their failure to understand the moment that the first guy was experiencing. yet, as they were the first on the scene after the initial dance they were able to learn a bastardized version of the dance which was more understandable to themselves and their onlooking friends. without second and third dudes being tastemakers, there would be no sheep. yet, without second and third dudes, the dance would remain undiluted and the first dude's celebration would have been able to proceed as beautifully as it could have. the sheep, unaware of the awesome which started it all, crash the floodgates and proceed to do their common dances without a care or thought to the original celebration. they are merely demonstrating that they knew to run to where other people are in a desperate attempt to look cool to themselves and for the camera. yet the sheep will never be as cool, in their own minds, as the second and third dudes. even though the second and third dudes were just ironic losers. the resulting unlearned vain mish-mash what is truly pathetic for it is much too far removed from the original awesomeness of the first dancer.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:21:42 -0800

sheep sheep sheep

By: punishinglemur

punishinglemur — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:30:21 -0800

takeaway from the aloha: dancing with other people is no fun

By: stammer

stammer — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:40:21 -0800

1. Sheep don't dance. 2. In my remake of 2001: A Space Odyssey, this video will be the "Dawn of Man" segment.

By: stammer

stammer — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:43:41 -0800

It will also be "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite".

By: the aloha

the aloha — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:03:54 -0800

takeaway from the aloha: other people can not as much fun as i do because they do not dance as well as me.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:04:28 -0800

In my remake of 2001: A Space Odyssey, this video will be the "Dawn of Man" segment. You try remaking 2001 and a million film nerds will come and bash you good with leg bones. Anyway, this scene is more reminiscent of the climax of "Childhood's End".

By: binturong

binturong — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:04:41 -0800

I think he just liked dancing alone and all those sheep just fucked it up for him.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:04:58 -0800

I can as much fun and dance.

By: humannaire

humannaire — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:10:14 -0800

Sheep? Naw, everyone was just ready waiting for the moment to got good. And then it did! Don't hate the players, don't hate the game, leave your computer on full, and come join the fun!! PS This is why I voted for Obama. I knew this would happen when he got elected. Everyone's been waiting to dance again for almost ten years! Shit's bound to break out in spurts like this after being backed up for so long!

By: salvia

salvia — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:19:54 -0800

I just imagine the original guy looking up like "wha? where'd all these peo-- ... Hey a beat!"

By: Ugh

Ugh — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:20:31 -0800

If these are sheep, well then I aspire to be one.

By: setanor

setanor — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:20:58 -0800

Sheep? Seriously? Making fun of everyone else in that video for what they do is equally inspired as anyone else making fun of him for dancing alone.

By: setanor

setanor — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:21:58 -0800

the resulting unlearned vain mish-mash what is truly pathetic for it is much too far removed from the original awesomeness of the first dancer. It's not fun if you have to think about it that much.

By: binturong

binturong — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:37:18 -0800

Calling people sheep is not to make fun of them but merely to observe that they are followers, not leaders. That's all. They don't want to be the first.

By: ageispolis

ageispolis — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:48:47 -0800

Sasquatch this year was hyyype! Another highlight was the couple having sex in front of thousands of people during the Decemberists. Security tried to break the two of them up... but they were committed.

By: rtha

rtha — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:59:27 -0800

the sheep, unaware of the awesome which started it all, crash the floodgates and proceed to do their common dances without a care or thought to the original celebration. they are merely demonstrating that they knew to run to where other people are in a desperate attempt to look cool to themselves and for the camera. Jesus Christ, have you ever been to one of these outdoors-on-a-hillside kinds of things? Because what happens is most people are hanging out, kind of drunk, kind of high, a little sleepy and warm maybe in the sun. They're watching the band and talking to their friends and not looking at every part of the hillside to see what's happening. They don't start to dance, or join the dance early on, because they're a little sun-lazy or they're not sitting so they can see the dancing until it gains critical mass. They're not sheep; they're goofy happy people at an outdoor concert. I suppose you are always the first person to do anything in your crowd of friends? Good for you, I guess. You are not living up to your name.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:09:10 -0800

I always liked the term "aloha". In addition to being a stock greeting/farewell, it can mean things like "I acknowledge the sacred breath in you and in this space". Traditional Hawaiian thought is so rich and complex.

By: speicus

speicus — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:10:04 -0800

At every show there is always that one guy totally dancing it up by himself, different guys at different shows, but always one guy, and I always wonder, what is up with that guy? Why is there always one guy? And now I know: because sometimes this happens. Have to give props to the second guy, though, he's the one who really made it happen.

By: setanor

setanor — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:12:02 -0800

That's all. They don't want to be the first. What patronising nickname do you use for people who do?

By: 5_13_23_42_69_666

5_13_23_42_69_666 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:40:21 -0800

Now I want to see the crowd join in with the determined sex couple!

By: dabitch

dabitch — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:47:16 -0800

How odd, the youtube link that Cold Lurkey showed us "is not available in your country" when I click on it. What are they protecting us Swedes from? Dancing dudes? Yeah god Forbid Swedes learn how to have fun. ;)

By: bepe

bepe — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:18:37 -0800

Glad to see this again! I was at Sasquatch last weekend and had the pleasure of seeing this dance party evolution in first person. The instigator was dancing off in a mostly empty corner of the venue, and man was he tearing it up--up and down the hillside, leaping, writhing, total commitment. The video doesn't capture it, but he was seriously getting down for the entire Santigold set and maybe more. Enough so that we noticed from a halfway across the hillside. Good stuff, pure joy for him, lots of fun for everyone else, all that sheeple crap can suck it.

By: inigo2

inigo2 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:27:33 -0800

I'm glad The Devil Tesla posted this. I also think everyone else who posted in the thread is a SHEEP. SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP. Or, people just saw other people having fun, and wanted to join in. No need to label derisively.

By: arielmeadow

arielmeadow — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:01:32 -0800

I'm torn on this one. On the one hand, the former raver in me just loves seeing people lose their inhibitions and dance ... on the other hand, I feel like this is the worst kind of Pacific Northwest hipsterism on full display. (I say this as a Seattleite.) You've got the full cycle represented: 1. the random person just blissed out doing their thing 2. the couple of people who stick a toe in, hiding under the guise of irony/just kidding/ha ha, I don't really mean it/isn't this funny? 3. then the crowds of people who suddenly realize "hey wait a minute, those freaks are having more fun than I am!" who come literally running from all sides desperate to get in a moment or two of their own fun before... 4. the song ends. Who had the most fun? The original dude who just said "fuck it" and was dancing at the beginning. Not because he was dancing alone, but because he let the music move him ... regardless of a scene of people to make the expression ok. Even just from a strictly literal sense: he spent the most time dancing = he had the most fun. (PS: I edited a rave magazine 10 years ago, so I used to think about this kind of scenester behavior a LOT and can guarantee you I'm overthinking it here. And yes, I'm probably more cynical about it than most for that same reason.)

By: mkultra

mkultra — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:32:58 -0800

Only on MetaFilter can you find people bagging on other people's enjoyment for not being "authentic" enough.

By: inigo2

inigo2 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:36:52 -0800

Who had the most fun? It's not about who had the most fun, it's just about having fun. Just my thought.

By: arielmeadow

arielmeadow — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:16:15 -0800

Oh, mkultra: I'm like this everywhere. ;)

By: paperpete

paperpete — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:27:51 -0800

Well. I don't dance anymore because I'm crap at it and don't go out with enough other people who dance (and I'm a shy wuss about it). I don't even feel inspired to dance now, having watched the clip. But come on, all you naysayers. You've never run joyfully to a dancefloor after your friends before? I smiled at these people's happiness. I'm guessing / hoping it's happiness anyway. And it reminded me of not being 31 and responsible.

By: hawthorne

hawthorne — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:28:24 -0800

I always thought Neeva of the Sevateem should have a spin-off show.

By: bepe

bepe — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:54:51 -0800

Oh, also, my take on the motivations of possibly-tainted-by-hipster-affectation-and-a-little-late-to-the-party dancers: it was the third hot, sunny day in a row, people were feeling sleepy after the grizzly bear set, then Santigold came roaring on and put on a very high energy performance that had a big crowd dancing in front of the stage (a crowd that gogol bordello put to good use immediately after). But for someone who suddenly felt like dancing, it was kind of tricky to navigate from the top of the hill down to the stage, so maybe I'll just stay here on the blanket... but hey, look at that guy, let's go dance with him!

By: monkeyJuice

monkeyJuice — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:56:56 -0800

yeah it was good until all the other fucking hipster wankers turned up and didn't want to miss out on their chance to bore the life out of anyone who will listen later to how they were part of this like really totally so cool dance that you had to be there. i expect it was twitted and youtubed and flickrd to death and then forgotten about when the next shinny thing came along.

By: Casuistry

Casuistry — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:03:56 -0800

Because I don't find dancing all that fun, and because I find large groups of people doing the same thing to be more terrifying than inspiring (even when they're doing something I agree with -- one reason I don't usually go to rallies, because I get freaked out by the throng of people I presumably agree with), this was a pretty unsettling video to watch.

By: inigo2

inigo2 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:11:42 -0800

One of my favorite things about metafilter is that it makes me feel less cynical.

By: monospace

monospace — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:39:48 -0800

Yes, but where the hell was Matt?

By: any major dude

any major dude — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:15:04 -0800

That kind of reminded me of the old Gandhi adage about change: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:28:31 -0800

Awesome.

By: Tubes

Tubes — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:31:28 -0800

Ow, my head. This video is why they invented automatic image stabilization. Also, good grief people, some folks just find dancing with a mob of other people fun while standing up in isolation and dancing isn't. Of course they'll run to where the dancing is happening.

By: kanewai

kanewai — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:53:18 -0800

Why don't these guys ever move to the actual beat? They're all having fun, so good on them, but I've never been able to figure out the floppy dance.

By: speicus

speicus — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:35:36 -0800

The cynicism in this thread is kind of like the dancing in the video -- at first it's one guy crying "sheep" all by himself, and he doesn't care who hears him. Then a couple other people join him, and pretty soon a chorus of "sheep sheep sheep SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP" rises throughout the thread, until it's a big cynicism party everyone's running to be a part of! The dizzying rate of ouroboric tail-eating is making my head spin.

By: the aloha

the aloha — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:50:13 -0800

speicus: Have to give props to the second guy, though, he's the one who really made it happen. i include the third guy with the second guy because the second guy drifts away from the first guy for a little bit. meanwhile, the third guy comes in and keeps the ironic dream alive. rtha: You are not living up to your name. after seeing how you demonstrated all of the qualities of a red-tailed hawk, i must completely reconsider my position. from now on, i will also clear everything i post here through you first. have you ever been to one of these outdoors-on-a-hillside kinds of things? i have. at some, lots of people danced around, too. never felt the need to document the scene. I suppose you are always the first person to do anything in your crowd of friends? considering that i am the leader of a cult, yes. setanor: What patronising nickname do you use for people who do? shepherd. It's not fun if you have to think about it that much. had i not gone into the reasoning behind what i felt, the first guy would not have gotten the love that i felt that he deserved. oh, and sheep was much shorter than typing "fourth through hundred and whatever person".

By: rtha

rtha — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:11:30 -0800

after seeing how you demonstrated all of the qualities of a red-tailed hawk, i must completely reconsider my position. Actually, I haven't leg-dangled, or crapped on anyone's head today. Yet. from now on, i will also clear everything i post here through you first. Awesome! Please do! i have. at some, lots of people danced around, too. never felt the need to document the scene. That's cool. Me neither. Some people are different, and do document. It's interesting that you know all about why people might document such an event. he was the unbridled celebration brought to life by dance. And yet you seem to think it sucks that other people were inspired by his awesomeness and celebration and rose up to join in. Okay.

By: a non e mouse

a non e mouse — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:59:49 -0800

The music sucked. I thought I was being ironic. I have since discovered that the sound drivers on my laptop are screwed...

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:23:33 -0800

Aloha Oe. Metafilter really is a place that is bereft of the aloha spirit.

By: kanewai

kanewai — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:30:54 -0800

When did "sheep" become the all-purpose Internet insult? It's ubiquitous. And it stops any discussion dead in it's tracks without actually adding anything. I now rank sheep comments up there with "you know who else was a vegetarian?" posts.

By: inigo2

inigo2 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:56:12 -0800

Same reason it became popular in politics -- it's an easy, mindless insult to throw at people that agree with one another, with the further advantage of making yourself seem edgy because you portray yourself as different.

By: the aloha

the aloha — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:49:00 -0800

rtha: And yet you seem to think it sucks that other people were inspired by his awesomeness and celebration and rose up to join in. Okay. it would be like if everyone got on stage with their own violins, regardless of ability to play, at the symphony after hearing a well-played solo. or if everyone simultaneously got on their soapboxes at a toastmasters ceremony instead of listening to the main speaker. or if a group of chefs came to your home busting through the door and windows to throw in all sorts of spices into your perfectly fine mushroom soup. i think in the framing that the framing that the video starts of "kind of pathetic" lead to an over-celebration of collective action over the under-celebrated individual dancing achievement. the first dancer was the only dancer who was truly expressing himself with the dance. the second and third dancers came to mock and appropriate. everyone else came because it looked like the place to be due to the mass of people and the camera. it is fine that everyone had fun, but only the first dancer had a quality dance. snark must only be ok if it is not held within a dissenting opinion. burhanistan: Metafilter really is a place that is bereft of the aloha spirit. that is what happens when people swarm to anything popular. quality is thrown out the window to be replaced with ego gratification, and possibly networking. the aloha spirit exists only because of isolation and a determination to show it to the few who were determined enough to make it to the island.

By: bepe

bepe — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:22:54 -0800

Sorry, but that's crap. The first guy was repeatedly exhorting everyone around him to join in, and then they did. It's a shame that something pretty simple has devolved into some (possibly inveitable) meta-discussion over the gentrified nature of dancing at outdoor festivals or whatever it is you're on about, but "mock and appropriate"? Sweet christ almighty, one guy has a fun time dancing, asks other people to join in, they do, all have fun, live happily ever after, the end.

By: P.o.B.

P.o.B. — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:07:05 -0800

the second and third dancers came to mock and appropriate. Who cares? Maybe they were, and it was half-hearted attempts anyway. They still expressed something uniquely theirs and didn't just duplicate what they saw. Everybody likes to have fun. Everybody did.

By: Pronoiac

Pronoiac — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:04:43 -0800

Don't diss rtha. I've seen her swoop in at a meetup, carry a very surprised bystander away, & then serenely kill & munch on the carcass. Also, the aloha, removing the agency of followers is pretty dumb, & shows a lack of self-awareness: your originality schtick is tiresome & boring.

By: Simon Barclay

Simon Barclay — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:34:09 -0800

Article: Calgary's 'Dancing Man' a hit after YouTube video.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:55:18 -0800

Wow, he's from Calgary, and he works at Ming. Small world.

By: salvia

salvia — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:21:20 -0800

I've seen her swoop in at a meetup, carry a very surprised bystander away, & then serenely kill & munch on the carcass. Speaking of this, I saw a bird attack a squirrel today! (Unfortunately, the point of impact was hidden from my view by a bush, so I couldn't quite see what happened.)

By: humannaire

humannaire — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:19:52 -0800

burhanistan: Metafilter really is a place that is bereft of the aloha spirit. that is what happens when people swarm to anything popular. quality is thrown out the window to be replaced with ego gratification, and possibly networking. the aloha spirit exists only because of isolation and a determination to show it to the few who were determined enough to make it to the island. posted by the aloha at 1:49 PM on June 2 [+] [!] Yeaa! Aloha is back!

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:03:51 -0800

So, y'all have never seen someone eating ice-cream and thought "Hey, I want some ice-cream"? Because the argument that everyone wanted to dance from the start, but were sheep who couldn't do it until others were too, or that they didn't want to dance, but were sheep who did it just to fit in, misses the really obvious third option: They were sitting there, listening to music. Then they saw someone dancing. Then they saw a few people dancing. And then they thought, "huh, you know, now I feel like dancing!". Just like wanting ice-cream. No sheep involved.