JOIN USReaction videos are gaining ground on YouTube
YouTube has a ton of stuff to keep one entertained and engrossed for hours on end. Apart from music and serials, stand-up comedians are putting out some very high quality content and there are series on food and travel videos.
In all this, a growing trend is reaction videos. Popular YouTubers react to original videos and give their opinion, discuss issues that have been spoken about. These can be both be educational and entertaining. Jaby Koay, Our Stupid Reactions, Uncle Roger, Geeks-a-Musing, Head Spread — are a few channels that have massive fan following and subscription. But there are just so many others out there.
What’s in an egg fried rice
One of the latest videos to go viral is the one on the mrnigelng channel, where Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng plays the role of Uncle Roger. The video was a reaction to BBC Food presenter Hersha Patel’s egg fried rice recipe.
Uncle Roger is shocked and disgusted with the way Hersha Patel cooks rice, the recipe itself and also the fact that she uses a metal spoon on a non-stick pan. In fact, BBC even had a small news item about this video going viral. Uncle Roger does not spare even celebrity chef Jamie Oliver for using olive oil to make egg fried rice. He is appalled that neither uses MSG in the egg fried rice.
the character od Unlce Roger is modelled after an older Chinese man, his ‘haiya’ remark to express displeasure has caught the attention of the audience.
YMCA spoof
India-based East India Comedy (EIC) channel’s Donald Trump’s USA song parody is based on the old hit YMCA by Village People. The lyrics are about racism and basically how the USA has changed after he took over.
Not exactly suited for a younger audience, but EIC gets the American situation spot-on. American channels like Jaby Koay and Our Stupid Reactions are absolutely thrilled with the creativity and enjoy it thoroughly.
A slice of India in the US
All India Bakchod (AIB)’s reaction videos are fun to watch. They react tp a lot of foreign YouTube channels which showcase “the darker side of India”.
On a more serious note, many YouTube reactions from the USA, Russia, Japan, the UK, South Korea, Australia are awestruck after seeing the Republic Day parade, with all the extremely precise marching and weaponry on display.
AIB’s The Day India Resigned is about an ‘exit interview’ between India and the British when the former became independent.
The video pokes fun at everything from how Indians were sent on ‘overseas assignments’, when it was only Indian soldiers who fought for the British or slaves who were taken to other colonies to plant sugarcane. While the American channels saw the funnier side of it, British channel Head Spread thought it was pretty rude.
The Tharoor effect
Shashi Tharoor’s Oxford speech on the British owing reparations for colonial wrongs that were done was another massive hit. It also found favour with reaction videos. In fact, it was educational for the young hosts of Head Spread who knew nothing about the horrors of colonialism. Even the other channels were obviously appalled because not many know the dark side of colonialism.
The Tharoor Guide to Indian English is a Brut India video and talks about the words the British have ‘looted’ from Indian languages. People in the reaction videos have no clue that shampoo, dungaree, cash, catamaran and many more are derived from Indian languages, but are surprised to learn that brinjal is used only in Indian English.
Or for that matter words like ‘preponed’, ‘we are like this only’, ‘kindly adjust’, ‘I’m damn chilled’ and ‘taking my case’ etc. have all been coined in India and are very much in current usage.