06/15/10

Warning: This post may contain content which could be deemed as offensive to some. If you are offended easily by writings containing graphic imagery or language, move along.


Today's topic: Chatroulette


I'll start by saying that I've really had very little experience w/ the website known as chatroulette.com or cr. For the sake of brevity, I will be using the later throughout this post. For those of you unaware of what the oddly intriguing world of cr is, let me drop some knowledge. Essentially it's a website which allows you to videochat with a completely random stranger. All you need to participate is a computer w/ a webcam.

Just like in russian roulette, if you play enough, you're bound to take a bullet. The bullet in this case, however, is usually a middle-aged, hairy, man (usually from New York) playing with his cock. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are plenty of people paying for that visual, but I'm not one of them.

As with most significant advancements in technology, sex has found a way to get involved. This was no exception. I'm not calling cr a significant advancement. I'm just trying to express my lack of shock that cr has been filled with lonely exhibitionists trying to make someone smile (or occasionally vomit.)

I'm sure cr was initially created as an idea for a unique way of letting strangers communicate. It's like speed dating for the trendy nerds w/ macs. You can start a conversation with someone and see where it goes. If you like where it heads, you continue. If you don't, you click "Next" and another person pops up on your screen. It's as if there's a line of randoms whose sole purpose in life is to say "Whats up?" and throw endless amounts of emoticons your way. As nice as this sounds, the odds are that you're more likely to see a wonderful example of a poorly manscaped taint than actually having a quality chat with someone.

While the thought of people randomly exposing themselves on a chatting website might be off-putting, it shouldn't come as a surprise. People have been exposing themselves for ages, and not just in the confines of one's bedroom. Think about it. This cr exhibition is to my generation as streaking was for my dad's generation. With technology comes creative new ways of showing the world what you've got. For some, it's a witty comment laced with a hint of sarcasm. For others, it's an uncircumcised dong with a little too much English.

As much as I love the thought of seeing the random genital while trying to communicate, I must say I can't see myself getting into cr. It also doesn't help that I'm lacking webcam. I consider that a positive thing. I'm pretty sure "Purchase a webcam" is on the list of top 10 things to do in order to qualify for the new season of "To Catch a Predator."

I just checked, it's #7, just after "Groom your mustache."


While all of my thoughts on cr are of the negative and sarcastic variety, the combination of  the growth in its popularity and my love of youtube has spawned one glorious little nugget. The videos provided by PianoChatImprov on youtube are fantastic. A brief synopsis of this amusing series by a man who calls himself "Merton" is as follows. A dude in a green hoodie sits in front of a piano and improvises little bits about the people he encounters on cr, hilarity ensues, and the viewer feels better about his life, but worse about the hope he holds about for the human race.

So, as with many things in life, you must deal with the garbage in order to get the gold. It just so happens that the garbage is nude guidos and the gold is youtube humor...maybe that's a bad comparison.


That's all that I have on cr. Until next time.




Cheers