August 18th / 19th, 2012

"Video Prank Trumps Community Service"

Earlier this month a rumor circulated that Kanye West wanted his main squeeze, Kim Kardashian, to make a sex tape with him. The thing is, no one blinked an eye at the suggestion. That’s because Kim had already starred in one sex video with a former boyfriend, so a sequel didn’t seem the least bit outrageous. Rumor or not, the story reminded me of how easy it is for untalented, unintelligent people to gain fame and make money. Without the first sex tape, for example, there would be no Kardashian retail empire today.

Back in March of this year, “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm targeted the Kardashians in his observation that the United States has “dumbed down,” and that “stupidity is celebrated.” Added Hamm, “Being a f**king idiot is a valuable commodity in this culture because you are rewarded significantly.” And that brings me to Winston-Salem celebrity Manny Perez.

Last month Perez was driving his wife Sabra to the Raleigh-Durham airport to pick up relatives, when Sabra dozed off in the passenger seat. Manny then observed that, right in front of their car, a big rig was being towed backwards, giving the illusion that the two vehicles were about to crash head-on. Quick-thinking Manny saw an opportunity to punk his wife, so he grabbed his camera and aimed it at Sabra. Perez then poked his wife to wake up, so he could get her reaction to the impending faux disaster. As expected, Mrs. Perez awoke in a panic, probably seeing her life flash before her eyes. Manny later told Winston Salem Journal columnist Scott Sexton, “She loses it, and smacks the camera out of my hand. I’m laughing the whole time.” That Manny. What a kidder. If he had pulled that crap on me, there would have been a head-on collision, and it would have involved his head and my fist.

First of all, the stunt was cruel. Second it could have literally caused Mrs. Perez to have a heart attack. And third, instead of grabbing at the camera, Sabra could have reacted by grabbing Manny’s arm or the steering wheel, either of which could have caused a fatal accident with multiple vehicles. But to add insult to injury, Manny then posted the video of his wife’s reaction on YouTube, and it went viral in short order. YouTube subsequently sold ads adjacent to the video and Cecil B. Perez received about $1,500 for his cinematic effort. Manny told Sexton, “It’s not a lot of money, but it’s like getting paid to have fun and make people laugh, so that’s kind of cool.” Perhaps so if you’re 8 years old, but Manny is 32, which makes him almost an adult.

As if his childish prank didn’t garner enough attention on the internet, Manny also got his 15 seconds of fame from what used to be a respected news network. Upon hearing of the spousal panic video, producers at ABC’s “Good Morning America” contacted Perez, and invited the viral couple to appear on TV. Manny told Sexton, “They’re sending a car for us — the whole nine yards.” Once upon a time, broadcast networks used to report the news and probe the human condition, but today they will broadcast anything, no matter how tasteless or sensational, just to grab more viewers. Not too many years ago, the benchmark for television coverage was that the topic had to have some redeeming value. Not anymore.

Ironically, “GMA” could have taken the high road, and instead of giving Manny the air time, could have sent their car for another Winston-Salem resident, 10-year-old Jamison Bethea. While the Perez family was engaged in video pranks, young Mr. Bethea was busy doing something good for his community. The rising fifth grader had held a food drive in honor of his grandmother who passed away late last year. He collected 1,600 cans of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank, enabling that organization to help hundreds of families in need. Said Food Bank executive Clyde Fitzgerald, “It’s a great thing he did. His act to make a difference will make a difference. I’m very proud of him.”

So am I. So too would all of America had they only known about little Jamison’s good deed. But, alas, he wasn’t given a limo ride to fame. That car was instead reserved for the YouTube couple. To paraphrase Jon Hamm, “Good Morning America” celebrated stupidity over community service. We all got punked that day.