This isn’t the confrontation between the rational man and the indifferent universe. It’s the confrontation between a woman who is actively trying to deprivilege the rational coming up against a fever dream of a TikTok.
A cluster of toddlers sit in a a semicircle, their bodies curved around the border of an indoor basketball court. Their attention is riveted on a small, moving thing that is initially indiscernible. A middle aged-man in a red sleeveless collared shirt and khakis rises from his position seated amongst the children, springing into a run, attention also oriented towards the small moving thing, which becomes discernible as a surprisingly speedy lizard. The long-legged uprightness of the lizard’s run appears almost too agile to be real, like something out of an animated movie. And yet, everything about the quality, look, and events of the video suggests that this is indeed a real live lizard. The lizard continues to bound forward, while the man chases after, falling behind. The camera stays on the lizard so that as the lizard moves farther and farther from the man, only his khaki’d legs remain visible, his human gait not standing a chance against the awesomely rapid lizard-run.
Shaq appears on the screen, wearing a red clown nose and a broad, goofy smile. This image is still, and blue-filter-hued. Shaq wears a navy polo and appears to be in a school, or some other kind of public building, with blue walls and a white paneled ceiling.
A white-haired elderly man spins on the ledge between the moving handrails of two escalators. His back and bum are on the railing, the rest of his body unsupported in the air on either side. His torso and legs become propeller arms rotating around the central point of his body. He wears formal clothing in hues of gray, black gloves, black shoes, and glasses. His mouth is open and he appears to be bracing himself, concentrated on what he is doing instead of alarmed by it.
The next clip is jerky, looking sped-up. A person wearing black shoes, black pants, and a silvery short-sleeved shirt over a black long sleeve shirt walks in a dance-like shuffle, bum stuck out, with two steps to the right and then two steps to the left, twisting a bit as they move forwards. Other people walk by, moving around a sign advertising a dish at a restaurant. There are poles and a caution, wet floor sign a bit further back, making the space appear to be some sort of mall or other commercial public space.
A person wearing navy pants and a turquoise T-shirt walks with straight legs and straight arms, carrying what appears to be a pickaxe. The outfit, way of moving, and tool make this person resemble the Minecraft person. They travel quickly, and this video also appears to have been sped up.
A fluffy, orange-tan animal that could be a dog or cat sits inside a cardboard box, picking apart the box with its mouth in accelerated motion. Tiny pieces of cardboard accumulate around the box.
A still, square-cropped photo of a young person comes next. They wear a white collared shirt and a teal, patterned tie. The leafless branches of gray trees web across the white background of the sky. This person’s lips are folded in on themselves in a wide, closed-mouth grin, cheeks high, eyes presumably looking at their own image in the camera. Their hair is neatly combed down over their head.
Jack Black sits in a red-and-black gamer chair, with a red-and-black gamer set-up in the background. He wears jeans and graphic t-shirt. His arms clutch the arms of the chair. His beard is large, hair shoulder-length, and he wears glasses and a watch.
Three costumed figures, one of whom is dressed as spider-man perform what appears to be a jazz square dance in synch with one another. In the upper left corner of the video is a TikTok reply-to comment that reads “Mom?”. A person sits astride a motorcycle in the bottom left of the foreground, watching the dance.
TBC
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