Think Before You Upload!

 

I was reading about the apprehension of "the Alabama Tea Bagger" the guy who dangled his genitals over a passed out LSU fan in a New Orleans Krystal after the BCS Championship game in New Orleans. Honestly I am sort of torn about this whole thing......yes it was a stupid thing to do. Have I seen stupider things?....OOH YEA! I think the real question is, was anyone hurt? Was that passed out LSU guy damaged in some way? No not really. Brian Downing appears to be the one with most of the damage. He has lost his job, he's been clapped in irons and dragged into the dark depths of Orleans Parrish jail , he has been publicly humiliated before his friends , family and the world. Most likely he will be tried and convicted of sexual battery. Here is the statute from Louisiana describing the offense and the punishment http://www.babcockpartners.com/resources/statutes/louisiana-sexual-battery-law which contains words like "hard labor" and "for the rest of his natural life". Downing , if convicted , will serve some jail time and be permanently branded as a sex offender lumping him in with rapists and child molesters.  He will be electronically monitored forever and have to register where ever he goes.

When I read the legal parts I thought "OK that is what he did." but I also thought it might be a little harsh for a crime of stupidity that left no one hurt. You can't even make a case for the LSU guy being "psychically damaged or mentally scarred" HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS WHEN IT HAPPENED. Now did it disturb him when he saw the video on the web? Of course it did! "Oh my gosh , I got blasted and passed out in a Krystal and some Alabama guy dangled his business in my face!" Will the intoxicated LSU fan be OK? Aside from his other obvious self inflicted issues, yeah I think he'll survive.Will he have some problems stemming from his involvement in this? Yes I believe he will. Would you want to be "that guy"? What do you think being "that guy" on your resume will do for you? Nothing good I'm sure.

Hopefully, Downing will be shown some compassion and cooler heads will prevail. Hopefully the LSU fan will use this and turn his life around. Certainly the furor will fade when "the next big thing" hits the web.

So why is this a big deal? Because it went viral on YouTube! All this havoc is only possible because of technology. Handy video on your smart phone, the internet and video sharing have all come together to destroy one poor stupid SOB and make another one the laughing stock of the world.

The moral of the story here is: Remember the enormous power you hold in your hand when you pull out your smart phone.Think before you upload that video boys and girls.