ICYMI, yesterday a video of a typical 20-something Australian bogan dude – now known as “Human Mudflap” – who thought it would be amusing to cling to a taxi and get dragged along the road for 150m, went viral as balls.
Since then, however, the 40-second video has led to a short-but-lol stoush between old media and new, with generally excellent website Brown Cardigan starting beef with the Sydney Morning Herald for running the video without credit.
Now, before all of your heads explode arguing over this in the comments – we are aware, as are they, that neither Brown Cardigan nor the Sydney Morning Herald actually created the video in question.
It was shot by someone called James Carthew, who uploaded it to social media, after which, both outlets shared it.
Being the timely sons o’bitches they are, Brown Cardigan posted the video to their Instagram hours before Fairfax had likely even caught a glimpse of it, let alone published it themselves.
Based on this, Brown Cardigan took the position that they saw and shared it first, so credit was due to them for finding it.
They contacted SMH asking for this; journalist Nick Ralston refused, saying that the video was appropriately credited to its original source.
They then fired back with, “You wouldn’t have seen it if we didn’t post it, so you’re welcome you smug fuck.”
Nick Ralston clearly got a OTT devo over being called a mean name on the internet, as Fairfax journalists tend to do, and apparently started scoping out potential links to his new enemies using the undetectable, stalkerish skill of a baboon.
Shortly after the kerfuffle, Brown Cardigan posted this screenshot of Ralston 1) trying to find them and 2) lying about the expletive they used:
And so, the internet rolls ever-onwards; and by the time you’re done reading this, there will be another short yet entertaining video of a 20-something Australian male doing something stupid/dangerous to briefly divert our collective attention.
Never change, Internet.
All images via Brown Cardigan (because crediting people is fab, you guys).
