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Harlem Shake: Freedom Dance Goes Viral Threatening Crusty Establishments Worldwide
Viral Global Youth Hit Crusty Old 20th Century Leaderships with Massive Uncontrolled Freedom Strikes
by Johnny Punish
The Harlem Shake has gone worldwide and viral going from stupid fun dance to a major protest effort by the young against the crusties who seek to oppress them and their future.
For example, the Muslim Brotherhood tried to get videos removed from YouTube because the kids were protesting their actions. After this action, the kids went crazy uploading even more videos and even doing the Harlem Shake in front of their headquarters.
The same thing is happening in other oppressive hot spots around the world like in Tunisia where the old crusty government officials are freaking out and trying to stop the kids from expressing themselves and its’ getting bigger.
It’s another sign that the world is getting smaller, closer, and more homogenous while the 20th Century old and molded leaderships fail to understand that freedom and liberty have gone viral. It’s a culture and political war being waged against the old 20th Century paradigms that have expired.
What is the Harlem Shake?
The Harlem Shake is an Internet meme in the form of a video of various groups of people performing a comedy sketch accompanied by a short excerpt from the song “Harlem Shake”. As a meme, the video was replicated by many people, using the same concept, and this rapidly led to it becoming viral in early February 2013, with thousands of “Harlem Shake” videos being made and uploaded to YouTube every day. To date, its’ over 240,000 videos.
The form of the meme was established in a video uploaded on February 2 by five teenagers from Queensland, Australia known on YouTube as The Sunny Coast Skate. The video started a viral trend of people uploading their own “Harlem Shake” videos to YouTube. The teenagers’ video was, in its turn, a follow-up to a video by a YouTube comedy vlogger named Filthy Frank which featured a section where several costumed people danced to the song “Harlem Shake” by Baauer.
Check out Harlem Shake in Egypt against Islamists
Concept
The videos last between 30 and 32 seconds and feature part of the song “Harlem Shake” by electronic musician Baauer. Usually, a video begins with one person (often helmeted or masked) dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds, surrounded by other people not paying attention or unaware of the dancing individual. When the bass drops, the video cuts to the entire crowd doing a crazy convulsive dance for the next 15 seconds.
Additionally, in the second half of the video, people often wear a minimum of clothes or crazy outfits or costumes while wielding strange props.
The song starts with a 15 seconds intro, then 15 seconds with the bass, then a lion roar at the end of the first 30 seconds, making videos songs easy to create.
Reason for Success
The success of the videos was in part attributed to the anticipation of the breakout moment and short length, making them very accessible to watch. The Washington Post explained the meme’s instant virality by referring to the jump cuts, hypnotic beat, quick setups and half minute routines.
The Harlem Shake is technically very easy for fans to reproduce, as it consists of a single locked camera shot and one jump cut. Nonetheless, the simplicity of the concept allows fans considerable scope in creating their own distinctive variant and making their mark, while retaining the basic elements. In its simplest form, it could be made with two people; a more sophisticated version might even involve a crowded stadium. Moreover, there is a level playing field for celebrities and fans alike, with no guarantee of success for either group. There is a strong vein of humor running through each video that is not dependent on language, further increasing its potential to spread virally.
In places like Australia, it’s been a fun event. However, in places like Egypt and Tunisia, its been used as a form of protest. When the governments there try to clampdown, the young people go nutzo and make even more viral videos embarrassing the old crusties globally forcing them to react to the young people who they previously discounted.
And thank goodness….cheers to freedom of expression, cheers to liberty, and cheers to the Harlem Shake!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Johnny Punish is a musician, artist, entertainer, businessman, investor, life coach, and syndicated columnist. Educated at University of Nevada Las Vegas, his articles appear in Veterans Today, Money News Now and his Johnny Punish Blog. His art music is promoted by Peapolz Media Records and played on net radio at Last.fm and more.
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2013 copyright – Johnny Punish
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Posted by Johnny Punish on Mar 4 2013, With 0 Reads, Filed under Causes, Editor, Living, Peace. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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where’s my comment
I don’t care if it’s a dance, drum circle or whatever, people getting together and fomenting connecting instead of hate is how it’s going to change. It’s the LAST thing the killers want, people coming together. They and the ziomedia and corrupt education system have worked hard to instill division, hate of every kind, while promoting selfish phony socialism that’s just government stealing to entitle takers and bind them to authoritarianism. Looks like some aren’t buying it. Now if more of them, us, just looked Up and saw we’re all being sprayed like rats with CHEMTRAILS, maybe that dance would turn into some other kind of thing. Connecting, now, with everyone, is key.
Hmmm, I wish that for every shake they would drop their iPhone for one day and read one book.
It is a beginning, young people reaching out to each other, we don’t have to hate each other due to polical differences of leaders.
Don’t go to war with each other, shake hands, have a cup of coffee or tea and let’s talk.
Killing each other in these insane wars of destructions.
May be if you would have met in different circumstances you would have had a nice time together.
Now due to pressure from governments you are killing each other, destroying your countries.
Time for a chance in this world NO more wars.
Help each other for a better life for everyone, not just a select few in power.
PEACE to all.
One way for the precariat to manifest itself…
Perhaps more silly entertainment than threat to the ruling class. They need a serious game plan. They need to make videos filled with demands to help the common people and a few videos about the international banksters.
Well perhaps we can hope the Harlem Shake evolves into something more substantial.
The problem I see, is that the people in “unconscious” societies – mostly west – that do this thing, don’t see it as the author does, or as you do: as a tool to express dissatisfaction. In the middle east and north africa, where the revolutionary spirit is still brewing it can be a tool, but not in westernized societies, they see it as another occasion to act silly and party…not like they don’t have plenty of occasions to do that during the entire year..
Well, I hope making sexual dance movements isn’t the best young people in the Middle East can come up with to make changes to the government. Sigh.
I think you’re missing the point…..in that we’re communicating worldwide now where once people had very little connections, now we’re completely connected at lightning speed. Now and over time, this is changing the world and the kids will inherit it…..when we all realize that we’re all human beings…then what? Who to hate? How can the powers that be manufacture enemies when we’re all on the same team. That’s the point and I think the young people get it…..it’s just the old that are in the way.
I don’t think so, first paragraphs are important, this is your first paragraph: The Harlem Shake has gone worldwide and viral going from stupid fun dance to a major protest effort by the young against the crusties who seek to oppress them and their future.
Brian: Perhaps it’s just a silly way for some people to get attention for themselves, it’s not a major protest.
Peace,
Brian
I love it. Make love not war baby.
Amen,
Infidel