Pants on the Ground - a Viral Video Worthy of Our Attention

Pants on the ground is a hilarious viral video; if you haven't see it, please google "Pants on the ground". The American Idol Finale episode will reunite the candidate who seemed to be a little long in the tooth as he performs an amazing, homemade song.

Essentially, the entire video is an old man and his rap about sagging jeans. The expression on his face is priceless - he believes in what he's rapping about.

The first time I saw the video, I thought to myself "Oh no, another sad audition on American Idol" The next thing I knew, I was treated to one of the funniest things I have ever seen on the internet.

I think the reason why this works is because General Larry Platt is so sincere in what he's singing. He truly performs his song. Many of the auditioners on American Idol have great voices, very few actually emote when singing.

I also believe "Pants on the ground" beats William Hung's audition. William Hung had his place in the comedy videos, and certainly has achieved a high level of notoriety, but "Pants on the Ground" beats him for originality and intensity.

There are some great professional-level singers who audition for the show, in my mind, these are simply great karaoke artists. Larry Platt takes it to an entirely different level.

Now, I understand that the cynics out there really just want to see a ridiculous old man acting strangely. Vicarious humor is a cruel mistress; we laugh when people fall down because we're not the human being experiencing the suffering.

The nature of Schadenfraude is that a person finds joy in the suffering of others - with "Pants on the ground", there is no suffering happening. The song is truly performed from the heart.

If the song was truly worthless, why would so many people view the video? Over and over and over, people want to see this performance.

I wonder how many people will listen to the advice the song provides and actually pull their pants up. It seems like a strange thing to be annoyed about, but old people seem to be annoyed about many things.

I think it opens up the debate for "pants-sagging". Are saggy pants a societal problem?

Personally, I think that saggy pants signify urban culture and aggressive behavior. By eliminating saggy pants, I don't think we will eliminate the underlying social ills behind gangs and the crushing poverty of inner-city life.

On the brighter side, we have a hilarious video that addresses a serious issue in America.

For one thing, it's unique. Before "pants on the ground", it would be difficult to imagine someone coming up with such a song. Not many people would choose that subject to write a song about, let alone a protest song.

In the great tradition of viral video memes, "Pants on the ground" marks a whole new era of videos.

This will be hard to beat.