About
In November of 2002, a Canadian high school student named Ghyslain Raza videotaped himself using a golf-ball retreiver as though it were a double-sided light saber such as the one Darth Maul uses in Star Wars: Episode I. Unbeknownst to the boy in the video, his classmates discovered the video and began posting it online where it soon became a viral phenomenon, redistributed on countless sites, spawning remixes and mashups.
Spread
In May of 2003, a remix of the video was posted to Albinoblacksheep.com.
- Albino Black Sheep Archive May 2003
- The WMV remixes (links are dead)
Aftermath
Unfortunately, Ghyslain was humiliated, finished school in a psychiatric ward, and may have changed his name.
Excerpt from MSNBC article:
Ghyslain, devastated by his sudden celebrity and the relentless teasing that came with it, dropped out of school and reportedly finished the semester in a psychiatric ward. His parents sued the families of the teenagers responsible for the video’s world premiere, in a suit that maintained, “Ghyslain had to endure, and still endures today, harassment and derision from his high-school mates and the public at large.” Also, he “will be under psychiatric care for an indefinite amount of time.” It also stated that the stigma could make it difficult for the kid to continue his education, find employment, and might necessitate that he change his name.
The video was estimated to have been viewed over 900 million times by The Viral Factory in 2006.
Derivatives
Drunken Jedi Version:
Meme Details
Origin
unknown
Year
2002
