A different kind of YouTube experience
During the hours I spend on AIM every week, I usually update my friends on the latest gossip, and vice versa. And of course, because of YouTube's rising popularity, I am bombarded with links to videos of cross-dressing males dancing to Shakira, and of exploding Diet Coke and Mentos fountains. Along with the rest of the world, I laugh enthusiastically at the outrageousness of some people.
More recently, though, our adolescent interest in these hilarious videos has been eclipsed by videos from a new YouTube user who is not at all in our age group. Teens all over the country (and the globe) are tuning in to hear what a septuagenarian named Peter has to say. According to his profile, the man is 78 years old. His username, geriatric1927, was created in honor of his birth year. Although he has little experience creating videos, Peter has become a celebrity overnight. His British wit and wisdom, captured in videos of Peter at his home in the U.K., have, at least for a little while, been drawing teens away from nonsensical videos posted on YouTube.
Peter's first video, titled "first try," introduces him as a first-time YouTube user who would like to "bitch and grumble" about the world, as well his past experiences. By the sound of that, you would think Peter is angry at the world and is using his YouTube videos to scold teens or voice cynical opinions. In actuality, Peter is like a calm grandfather: experienced, but soft-spoken.
Subsequent videos posted to his page have been produced in parts, so users have to wait patiently for the next edition. In his "second try" video, Peter says, "All I intend to do is to just blog about things that annoy me and upset me and news items that I think are pretty stupid, things like that, and see if I can get some comments from people. And we can get the dialogue going with all you wonderful YouTube people."
The reaction of the online community has been startling. With more than 6,500 subscribers and almost 80,000 viewings on his video page, Peter has become a YouTube legend. Many users among the large teen audience comment on his page, saying that they think he should have his own radio station, and that they wish he was their grandfather. "If only I can have the courage to do something like you're doing when I'm your age," comments one. "You're the best thing that's ever been on YouTube!" says another.
A pretty good response for a guy making videos in his living room.
We know some things about Peter's personal life. He enjoys motorcycles, but he also writes that he has no tattoos or piercings. He also loves blues music, which is apparent at the beginning of his "first try" video. Peter lives in England--"across the lake"--and is a widower. In his video titled "the vicar and the police questions," Peter tells the YouTube community that he is angry about a vicar being accused of sexual misconduct because he congratulated a young girl by kissing her on her forehead. Peter says the man is innocent.
In his "telling it all, part 1," Peter displays a picture of himself on a motorcycle, giving him further credibility with the younger crowd. He talks about his life, saying that the city he lived in during World War II was heavily bombed. At the end of part 1, he begins to cry.
As his series continues, Peter uses the present tense as he tells his story to his audience--the "YouTube-rs," as he calls them. In "part 2," he talks about going to school and joining the army, and says that "you won't hear any tales of heroism or any action." He speaks about boot camp, where "the treatment is quite brutal... You're supposed to be changed from a man to a boy in six weeks, and they never fail."
"Part 3" addresses how he met his wife, who was "working in the department of art and design." He also talks about how he didn't want to be a public health defender because it didn't appeal to him, and how he instead went into the motorcycle industry. Finally, in the most recent installment, "part 4," he talks about his life as a father and a husband, and about the difficulties of being a foster parent of a 4-year-old who was deaf and had other disabilities.
It's a shame Peter has risen to fame at such a late point in his life when he has so much to say. But in the meantime we'll continue to listen to his rants about everything from motorcycles to war. Thank you, Peter, for reinventing what it means to be wise. You're a sage for the masses.
