I’ve spent a fair amount of time searching for the best videos on YouTube. Who hasn’t? We’ve all seen the oh-so-endearing “Charlie bit my finger,” and the comical “Harry Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise.”
But for all the time I’ve wasted watching videos that may make me laugh, there are few that I can truly say I’m happy to have seen.
But there is one video that friends have shown me that actually made me stop and think. This video had a real impact on people while it was being made, and it’s easy to see.
The first time I saw “Where the hell is Matt?” I thought I was about to see some silly spoof that I might send along to my brother and friends, but would also forget about the next day. But the four minute and 29 second video left me in awe. Matt, in the video, essentially does what I have always dreamed of- traveling the world and bringing his memories back to the U.S. with him.
The video begins with a man adjusting a video camera while music beings to play. He is in Mumbai, India. There is nothing special about him, no defining characteristics. But as soon as the camera is in place he begins to dance. And let’s be honest, he’s not very good. The scene changes and he is in Paro, Bhutan. Then he is in Zanzibar, Australia, The Netherlands, and Kuwait. He is always doing his goofy, little dance.
Soon, as the music begins to build up to the chorus, a hoard of people join in and begin to dance. For four and a half minutes Matt dances with men, women and children all over the world- from Austin to Madagascar. But the thing that is so amazing about this is the fact that each person in the video is visibly overcome with happiness while they dance.
You can travel all over the world, spend as much money as you want, and never make a difference. Matt and his girlfriend, who ran the camera, simply asked people to dance. It was something that each person from every country they visited could understand. Who doesn’t like good, fun dancing? Apparently only people in the demilitarized zones in Korea.
The first video made gained so much attention that Matt was picked up and sponsored by Stride Gum. The company funded more trips around the world, and with the help of a Web site the traveling dancer created, he had a new way of getting people to dance with him.
People from across the globe began contacting him, asking if he would stop in their country or city. So Matt began posting the time, date and exact location of his next dance session. And if you watch the video, you can see how successful he was.
So why do I like this video? Mostly, because Matt is an average guy. There is nothing that separates him from me. Seeing his video makes me think “Why couldn’t I do that?” And the truth is, I can. There is nothing holding me back, other than myself.
Students at SMU are not only smart, but we have our whole lives ahead of us. Why shouldn’t we grab a digital camera and a backpack and set off to see what the world has to offer outside of the continental United States? The only reason we wouldn’t be able to do what Matt did is if we don’t allow ourselves. I don’t know about everyone else, but I don’t want to grow up wondering what I could have done.
Liz Ford is a senior journalism major. She can be reached for comment at [email protected]
