San Francisco man fakes own decapitation in video
As if we didn't have enough wierdness in the world today, now we have people out there faking their own decapitation. Perhaps someone has a wee bit too much time on their hands?
SAN FRANCISCO -- An aspiring politician and video game designer who faked his own beheading by Iraqi militants set off a short-lived media frenzy Saturday after media around the world began showing his homemade video of the gruesome hoax.
Benjamin Vanderford, 22, said he posted the 55-second clip, which shows a knife sawing against his neck, on an online file-sharing network in May. It circulated in cyberspace before crossing over to major media, airing on Arab television.
"It was part of a stunt, but no one noticed it up until now,'' Vanderford told The Associated Press....
Shrugging and taking a drink from a diet soda, Vanderford said he originally made the video as a way to draw attention to his campaign for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He filmed the footage at a friend's house, using fake blood.
When his political aspirations waned, he decided to distribute the footage on Kazaa, which is used to trade millions of audio, video and software files daily, "to just make a statement on these type of videos and how easily they can be faked.''
Although the video went for months without drawing attention, it spread quickly after it was posted on a militant Islamic Web site that has previously carried claims of violent acts that eventually were verified.
Well, gee I could fake a video of me throwing bricks over a freeway overpass at passing cars, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do it. Apparently, it never dawned on Mr. Vanderford that this video might actually be taken for the real thing by some viewers. Concept doesn't always have to lead to execution.
Of course, being a DUMB@$$ isn't a crime. The FBI will probably chase it's tail just long enough to figure out that the only thing Vanderford is guilty of is lacking a normal helping of native intelligence.
Enjoy your 15 minutes, Benjamin; once it's up you'll be just another DUMB@$$.
