If you egg on a YouTube prankster, chances are he’ll try and prove you wrong.
Joseph Costello traveled to a different part of Austin, Texas, after viewers of his first dildo prank video told him that “he wouldn’t do this in the ghetto, he wouldn’t do this in the hood, and he definitely wouldn’t do it to a black guy.” Naturally, Costello went right ahead.
The prank’s victims are blindfolded, handed the dildo, and asked to guess what “fruit” they’re holding. It got laughs (and some anger) when he first attempted the trick in Austin, but not so much in this part of town.
It’s uncomfortable to watch. Not because of the sex toy, but because Costello is pretty open about mocking his subjects.
The participants in Costello’s first video are mostly white; the majority of people in this one are people of color. There’s exploitation beyond your run-of-the-mill prank video, and not just for the laughs that come when people don’t realize they’re holding a dildo.
Let’s go through it, shall we?
One man is clearly angry just for Costello putting the dildo anywhere near him. Another tells Costello to step off, but Costello antagonizes him even further by asking him to repeat something he just said in English.
Another guesses that it’s a dildo right away. Costello asks how, and he responds that he has a gay friend who’s proud of his large dildo collection.
In both videos, Costello takes advantage of the participants’ covered eyes and suggests that they put the dildo near their mouth. When they do, he starts giggling.
The lone female subject gets a special slow-motion replay because of her “hilarious” regional accent.
The comments about “that hood rat chick” are about what we’ve come to expect from any YouTube video featuring women, whether she’s a science reporter or a pick-up artist’s target.
And aside from the racial and cultural undertones, Costello is turning dildos into a punchline. Why?
Both men and women use dildos. It’s perfectly normal if you want to use one, or not. People don’t need their sexuality made into a joke.
Costello isn’t the first to exploit women and minorities for lulz on the Internet, but with his latest antics hitting the front page of Reddit, he’s sure got a lot of visibility.
Photo via QuietAssassins/YouTube