WAS IT FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE who said, with reference to the French Revolution, that "the text disappeared beneath the interpretation"? Well, we have a new revolution on our hands, then. One of the most popular videos on YouTube is the quite incredible wildlife video "Battle at Kruger" (number of hits – 40,713,044 and climbing. Sample comment – "Holy wow. That was absolutely mind-exploding") in which lions roaming the South African nature reserve attack a baby buffalo and separate him from the herd, dragging him down to the river's edge for a midday snack, writes John Butler.
The eight-minute nature play goes on to show buffalo watching in horror as the pride begins to eat one of their number. Then, a crocodile surfaces from the river and . . . well, I won’t ruin it for you. Suffice it to say that it all rather kicks off, and just as in the celebrated documentary about Muhammed Ali’s encounter with George Foreman in Zaire, the entertainment in this rumble in the jungle comes as much from outside the arena as within. Instead of Norman Mailer and George Plimpton, though, in the “Battle at Kruger” we have two levels of interpretation – on-site witnesses in the form of three American tourists (one operating the camcorder) and two Afrikaaner tour guides, and the online community.
American cameraman: “The buffalo are heading towards the lions.”
(Silence. Someone starts an engine, perhaps in the next jeep.)
All: “Ssshhh.”
Guide 1: “Hush mate”.
(Then a zoom as the lions begin to run).
Female tourist 1 (afraid): “They’re going for him, they’re going for him, she caught him!”
Female tourist 2 (sad): “Oh she did. She got him.”
Guide 1 (stunned): “Got. Did yew see thit?”
Guide 2 (proud): “Unbilivibil.”
Female tourist 2 (concerned): “Can they help him now, Frank?”
Guide 2: “Nah. They cint.”
Female tourist 1: “I hope they kill it quickly.”
South African tourist: “There’s a CROCODILE there too!”
Guide 1: “Look at the buffalo githering.”
Female tourist 2: “They’re wayyyy too late now!!!”
Female tourist 1 (hissing): “Look at the teeth, Jane!”
American man: “Jesus. He swatted at him and he’s kickin’ at him!”
All (screaming): “Go on! Get him!!!”
American man: “The calf’s still alive. He’s trying to get away. He’s standing up!”
Female tourist 1: “You can sell that video.”
American cameraman: “Yeah. ‘When buffalo attack’.” (All laugh.)
As with the French Revolution (in which “the noble and enthusiastic spectators of all Europe so passionately read their own outrage and enthusiasm into it that the text disappeared beneath the interpretation!”), the noble commenters on YouTube waste no time getting busy in that little box beneath each video. So far, more than 45,000 people have commented on “Kruger”, and you can forget about the lions and crocs on screen – this is where the wild things are.
Given that young people are best conditioned to watch and comment online, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised at the level of discourse under “Kruger”. As the demographic of users’ ages, so too will the tone of thoughts posted, but that will be a sad day, because the comments are riotously enjoyable right now – long screeds about the American tourists in the video, provincial Afrikaans slagging, 9/11 conspiracy rants and lots and lots of insults. The comments on the Kruger clip are less salty than on other videos, but here too, an anonymous free-for-all ensues in which hitherto voiceless souls begin to smash out their deepest feelings on keyboards across the planet – anonymously, of course – and the footage is forgotten.
Karikix: haha i can barely understand frank. i love the accents . . . this is intense.
Conradiep: Hierdie is flippen kwaai, Oubaas! Bedonderd ek se!
Vgyu8gf68: Where was PETA and ALF? They should have jumped in.
Havocfett: Have seen what happens in a slaughter house? or read about it?
Wayward1981: Ddoes it consist of us chewing the animal while it’s alive? If not . . . you lose!
Gingersnapgal87: My semi-nude videos have been removed! I am a sneeky girl. If you click on my name, you will see the link I put up that has the vids. Have fun.
Zimsters: get a life you worthless pie of rat stain.
NZfishboy: I have a great life – worth, I’m sure, a great deal more than yours – I just take time out occasionally to bait half-wits like yourself. Crawl back under your TMNT blankie and leave the internets to the adults.
legend666666 – keep on believing that. Yes your parents abandoned your dumbarse.
YuMMie28 – go buffalo go, i hate lions, bitch ass animals . . . and so on.
The great allure of nature programmes comes from how like humans the animal kingdom can behave – how their mentality reflects ours. But the allure of YouTube commentary is in seeing just how feral humans can be. As on any website, the only comments I don’t much enjoy are those that anonymously disrespect those who have managed to create any content. If you don’t like it, it might be better to walk away.
With “Kruger” I have a big problem with those who disrespect the lions involved. It’s unfair to post super-personal attacks on lions if you’re not willing to say it to their vicious, slavering faces.
They have to eat, and they can’t even respond to all the criticism because paws and claws preclude accurate typing. Lions never consented to be “out there” in this manner – they’re not Posh and Becks. And yet, people just pile in – “LOL – that dumb ass lion got owned!!!! Lions are such assholes!!!”, etc.
You know what that is? Cheap, senseless and hugely hurtful to the king of the jungle. I’m just glad Nietzsche isn’t around to see it.