[View the story "Silly Harlem Shake meme spurs serious backlash" on Storify ]Silly Harlem Shake meme spurs serious backlash Boundary-pushing versions of the viral dance craze have led to job dismissals, arrests and safety investigations around the world. Storified by CBC News Community · Mon, Mar 04 2013 16:14:38
A group of Australian miners are the
latest to face serious consequences for participating in a silly internet meme.
The Harlem Shake, a viral video trend that features a lone dancer kicking off a wild dance party, has spurred thousands upon thousands of interpretations as everyone from
seniors and
swim teams to
newscasters and
policy wonks post their versions on the web.
But for the miners, who were fired from their high-paying jobs, a few seconds of fun has
proven very costly .
Miners Lose Jobs Over The Harlem Shake - [Original] HDnewbestnews
The miners' wild dancing in the Agnew Gold Mine was deemed a safety hazard, according to the West Australian. One of the fired employees told the newspaper that the person who recorded the dance and some employees who were merely watching were also let go.
"The dance was supposed to be funny, but everyone is sitting around now wishing they had not done it," one of the miner's fiancees told the local press, describing the men as being regretful and "sick with worry."
Online, some observers called the dismissal an overreaction, while others expressed no sympathy, or called it unsurprising that a company would punish such a stunt.
"God forbid anybody have any fun." -- My dad upon hearing of the Australian miners who were fired for their "Harlem Shake" videoNicole Liane
Miners were sacked for making a Harlem shake, serves them rightGrace Flynn
"Despicable that they lost their jobs because of this. What happened to workers rights? That's right they don't have any. Excessive penalty, not even a warning issued is truly unjust. The world has gone mad," added YouTube user bah7505.
"Even if you ignore the excessive safety violations, they posted a video of themselves slacking off at work to an extreme degree, of course they got fired," countered YouTube user
captainpudding .
Investigations, arrests also spurred by dance The internet version of the Harlem Shake, which has
little to do with the shoulder-popping dance with roots in the 1980s, has landed some other participants in hot water, too.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after Colorado College students staged a Harlem Shake on a commercialairline flight. The students say they got clearance from the flight crew, and even used the plane's intercom system to organize the other passengers.
Harlem Shake Frontier Flight 157 (CC Wasabi Ultimate)flippyspinny
In an environment where passengers are to largelyremain in their seats, the video features several passengers packed into theaisle - waving and gyrating.
"I hate to be a bureaucratic kill-joy,"
said Steve Wallace, former director of the FAA's Office of Accident Investigation, adding that the agency must nonetheless consider this a safety issue.
"Turbulence injuries are the most common type of injuries, and they are virtually eliminated when people are in their seat belts."
Again, observers were divided on whether or not authorities were overreacting.
I don't get why the news people are making such a big deal about people doing the Harlem Shake on a plane. I think it's hilarious!Hannah Doerr
I saw a video of people doing the Harlem Shake on an airplane and I seriously don't think that's safe or legal sooooSummer Story
.Meanwhile, in Egypt, the Harlem Shake has taken on a political dimension following the
arrest of four students who stripped down to their underwear for their version of the dance.
Egyptian police said the students scandalized a middle class Cairo neighbourhood with their pelvis-thrusting dance in an apparent affront to Egypt's strict public indecency laws. Muslim Brotherhood .
Harlem Shake protest spreads to Egyptchannel4news
@Asher_Wolf today in Egypt a group of activists danced harlem shake in front of the Muslim Brotherhood headquarter as a satirical protestAhmed Ateyya
Students in Tunisia are also in the hot seat after combining the Harlem Shake with its viral forerunner, Gagnam Style.
Tunisian Minister of Education Abdeltif Abid launched an investigation after the video embedded below was filmed in a Tunisian high school,
according to Tunisialive .
"What happened is an insult to the educational message and whoever contributed will be held responsible," Abid said."
Gangnam Style & Harlem Shake Tunisia Version Père Blancwadjami
The viral dance craze, which really took off in early February, has had a rather long shelf life for an internet meme. Some are wondering whether the silly meme has attracted too much serious attention -- and that could mean for participants.
The Harlem Shake has gotten too many people in trouble...Eric T Cartman
These Harlem Shakes are getting pretty risky. 15 miners fired for making a harlem shake in their coal mine. The ante is rising. What's next?Bill Boulden
What do you make of boundary-testing versions of the Harlem Shake? Are officials being overly punitive in some cases, or is backlash unsurprising in certain contexts?
March (19)
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