Instagram have removed Michael Rapaport’s video commentary on Wilfred the inbred Persian and he is livid. Wilfred has taken the internet by storm. Strange looking cats do. But there is a moral dimension which Rapaport missed.
Rapaport, in his effing uniquely crude style, complains about the removal of his video in which he likes that effing cat to his grandma. It was funny and he is a comedian but the administration at Instagram decided to remove the viral and highly successful video.
We don’t know for sure, why. But as you can tell in Rapaport’s follow up video he believes it is because the cat (Wilfred) was shamed or degraded by the comedian.
“They [Instagram] took that f***ing video down because they said I was shaming,” Rapaport said in a follow-up post. “Somehow or another, it’s shaming. I’m shaming a f***ing cat.”
Thoughts
I am compelled to comment on it. Instagram say they remove content that targets private individuals to degrade or shame them:
It appears that the word ‘individual’ can be an animal. If that is correct I am delighted. It’s granting right to animals in a human to human contract. Excellent work Instagram. However, I don’t believe that Twitter is protecting Wilfred. They are protecting Rapaport’s grandma! Yes, that’s why they pulled the video.
To be honest, I found the comedian’s video in which he takes the piss out of Wilfred, crude and unfair. It was demeaning (can you demean a cat?). Wilfred is an inbred (poorly bred) Persian cat. He looks strange. He has disabilities, in truth, with his undershot jaw and breathing issues.
Humans should not joke about it but be sensitive. It goes back to my commentary on Grumpy Cat years ago when people asked what was wrong with Grumpy Cat. My answer was ‘people’. It’s the breeding of cats with disabilities which gives them a strange appearance and then using that appearance to entertain humans and exploit the cat.
It’s morally wrong. Yes, it’s fun and so on but it ain’t right and it seems that a kind soul at Instagram admin has seen that moral issue and deleted the effing video.
Now, I could be wrong and quite possible am wrong but I would like to think that I am right.
[Note: I am taking the mikey out of the piss taker himself, Rapaport, by using ‘effing’ in the article.]
You made me tear up.
I agree.
I commend Instagram for taking a sensitive and moral stand against shocking, ugly human behavior. It’s about time. That’s not an inanimate object alone sitting there, wondering why he’s being yelled and cussed at for no reason (other than to make another stupid video). People really should try to do more than that with their lives and care more about animals. The world is cruel and heartless enough these days.
Agreed. He is crude and he demeans this cat.