Just got sent a YouTube clip via the usual viral-email route. No, not emails with viruses (like you, with a virus… so exactly like you 
), rather emails that get constantly sent on and on and on (chain letters ringing any bells?). This one has done rather well for itself, with nearly 14 million views so far. So roughly as many views as there are devoted fans of Stu’s take on…, right?
A couple of things in the email, quoted below, are a bit off:
“A palindrome”
—————-A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite.
This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen…forward and backward.
This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled “u @ 50″ by AARP. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant.
Take a minute and watch it.
Firstly, this video was made by someone named Jonathan (YouTube username metroamv), who lists himself as a 29-year-old film student, and not a 20-year-old as the email states. People ALWAYS change the age to far younger in these things because then the person is presumably in some way ‘gifted’. They’re not gifted – I’m gifted. (Just so you know.)
Jonathan then goes on to mention that if he was a tree he would be a ‘fir’. Well ummm, thanks for clearing that up for us Jonno-Boy. Was just busy wondering what sort of tree you’d be if you had a choice. Granted he is a film student, so that last detail probably has a fair bit to do with copious quantities of drugs being ingested like Smarties.
Secondly, the email already explains the following, and yet still calls it a palindrome:
A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite.
So I guess one could call this a ‘FAIL palindrome’. A ‘FAILindrome’ if you will.
Whatever the I-are-well-smart official thesaurus-esque word is for this (any ideas? anyone?), it’s pretty good anyway.
No seriously, I want to know what you call this. Lemme know, either via the Comments section below or by emailing me: stu@stustake.com. Holla!
Finally, the one detail that fails to get mentioned is that, again by Jonathan’s own admission, it placed second in the contest. Nothing wrong with that; in fact allow me to say: Good on ya pal! I just find it apt that that minor detail was not included in all the bits about standing ovations and spontaneous applause.
But I digress; take a look:
Huh? Not too shabby.
I was feeling all creative and inspired after watching this, so I made a palindrome too. Feel free to add it general everyday conversation, a la “Bootylicious” and “Muggle”. ‘ave a read:
Stu! Awesome Stu!
Pretty frikking impressive, no?
No?
No.
