A man in a Long Island bagel shop became a viral sensation after a video emerged of him wildly yelling about women mocking his short height on dating sites.
The man, who had apparently been disruptive and rude before a young woman started filming, is asked why he thinks it’s okay to “degrade women.”
“Degrade — why is it okay for women to say, ‘Oh you’re five feet on dating sites, you should be dead,'” the man yells as he throws his wrapped bagel on the floor. “That’s okay?”
“Women in general have said it on dating sites. You think I’m making that shit up,” the man continues. “Everywhere I go I get the same f—ing smirk, with the biting lip.”
His rant goes on until another male customer interjects and says, “Dude, calm down.” To which the bagel man angrily yells, “Shut your mouth. You’re not God or my father or my boss.” Eventually another man tackles him to the ground.
The video had over 22.2 million views in 24 hours and has been shared more than 52,000 times on Twitter.
Why did a hysterical man in a bagel shop attract so much attention? His sexism was eye-catching, certainly. We live in a society that leaves no room for degradation, and viewers certainly felt a kind of triumphant satisfaction in seeing the angry, little man tackled to the ground. He got what he deserved, and we watched it happen.
But was there really a hero in that Long Island shop? The man’s blatant sexism certainly drew our eyes, but so did his discontentment. And it makes sense: Our society is bewildered by the idea of incels, or males unable to find a romantic partner despite countless attempts to find one. There are documentaries and long investigative pieces dedicated to figuring out what kind of man fails completely at the most central, fundamental part of our humanity.
And here was one, right in front of our eyes, just a click away. Behold, a loveless man! Here he is, an unhappy man lashing out over the lack of fulfillment in his life, and 22.2 million people found it confusing, disturbing, and yes, entertaining.
Both actor and audience were complicit in a viral condemnation of modernity and the emptiness it attracts. So if there’s one thing to take away from the Long Island bagel man, it’s this: society reaps what it sows.
