Apropos of yesterday's taser event at a John Kerry meet-n-greet, Slate has assembled a collection of taser videos that's not to be missed.

While I don't object to watching washed-up celebs (La Toya Jackson especially) line up to voluntarily get tasered in vain hopes of resuscitating long-dead or jump-starting never-really-were careers, I don't think tasering is really a very effective way to deal with a disruptive presence in a library or at a book club meeting or a Q&A session with a washed-up presidential candidate.

Because for some reason, one thing that all taser... recipients, let's call them, have in common is a blood-curdling shriek when they're hit with those 18 amperes.  That tends to be a bit more distracting in many cases than the original distraction.

There are few things more sacred than the integrity of our personal space, which is another thing that disturbs us when we see someone set upon by police as the young man at the John Kerry event was, though, initially, the audience applauded when he was being led away, presumably because of his strident tone with the senator and his rapid descent into conspiracy rant.  But as the situation spiraled out of control, and the tasers came out, the mood changed a bit.

But we've all dealt with this sort of thing ourselves, in our daily lives, haven't we?  This rapid escalation of a situation that might have been handled with simple good manners and decorum.  Say someone cuts you off in traffic.  You honk.  They give you the finger.  You shout "asshole!" at them as you speed up and try to pass them.  They block.  You tailgate them all the way home...

When is enough enough?  Who deserves tasering in this scenario?

Clearly, La Toya Jackson.

How about any time somebody does something to piss us off we taser La Toya?

Youtubers were quick to weigh in on the frightening ramifications of the First Annual University of Florida Taserama.  This guy is my favorite of the bunch. Very incisive and enlightening.


This one here (with the Chinese girlfriend) is kind of cute in a scary, high-strung way, as anglo guys with Chinese girlfriends for some reason always seem to be—what's up with that?...


I about wanted to tase his ass by the end of his rant.  He's clearly begging for it.

And it is precisely the tasering itself that's the newsworthy part of the story for youtube's talking heads.  "Why the fuck was that kid tased?" asks Chinese Girlfriend Guy, whose careful examination of video footage convinced him that while the taseree may have been foul-mouthed and obnoxious, his behavior fell far short of taser-worthy.  "This is exactly the bullshit I talk about with regard to this nation becoming a police state."

His poor Chinese girlfriend has to listen to that all the time, I bet. 

To tase or not to tase?  That seems to be the question here.  Although originally hailed as a non-lethal alternative to beating the shit out of someone, macing them, or just shooting them in the face, it has lately been quietly downgraded to "less-lethal" status.  (According to some sources, death by taser is a significant risk and is on the rise).

For keepers of the peace, the means of subduing an individual deemed to be disturbing it are all bad PR.  Because once it comes to that, the exposure of our means of keeping the peace actually disturbs the illusion of peace more than those charged with disturbing the peace do. 

In the end it's a matter of degrees.  None of us likes our peace disturbed, but we like it less when the one disturbing it is carted off in handcuffs, particularly when he was just ranting and raving, and not a clear and present danger of anything but making an ass of himself. 

But I wouldn't go so far as to call it police brutality just because some people can't take a hint.  And if you think that's just partisanism on my part, note that I think the shrieking lady at General Petraeus' testimony could've used a cattle prod in the keister, too.

Don't get me wrong, here.  Ranting, raving, flailing about, shouting obscenities and screaming like a banshee are all great ways to get your message out.  But these days you can do it from the comfort and relative safety of your home.  Just don't forget to plug in your webcam. 

See you on Youtube!