I’m not sure if the video I saw last week went viral and was, therefore unavoidable or was just viewed because of my usual type of luck.

Bad, in case you couldn’t guess.  

The video shows a man on a plane, initiating himself into the Mile High Club beneath a blanket.

The Bonely Way To Fly!

The person across the aisle and a row behind observed what he was doing and then decided to film it.  Subtly, first, and then he puts his phone over the seat in front of him and overtly films the guy.  

Stroker Ace can’t help but notice he’s busted, which I assume ruined the mood.

Here’s a question:

Who’s worse:  Stroker Ace or his personal Geraldo Rivera?

Naturally, I have some thoughts.

Stroker Ace looked awkward when he first realized that he was caught, then…perturbed.  It was like the act of being filmed while he charmed his spitting cobra was an invasion of his privacy.

I think he failed to realize that he had surrendered his right to privacy when he opted to remain in his seat versus tossing one off in the airplane lav.

Idiot.

But, at the same time, he should absolutely be offended by the Geraldo’s overt camera work.

Here’s a weary traveler minding everything but his own business, it seems, when what to his wandering eyes would appear, but a fellow traveler pulling his way to relieving the stress of travel.

I’m absolutely not endorsing Stroker Ace’s life choices in this instance.  I’m actually judging both he and Geraldo, because I think that while what Geraldo witnessed was wrong, so was his manner of – ahem – handling the situation. 

Other ways to correct this situation:

Hit the “call” button and subtly point it out to a Sky Mattress, I mean Flight Attendant.

Change seats and offer him a hand.

<Ahem!> to get his attention and let him know he’s busted.

Give him a “Psst!” and invite him into the lav to show him how the Mile High Club and the Friendly Skies really work. 

But the overt filming and subsequent posting of what can only be an extremely embarrassing situation basically amounts to a public shaming.  I don’t see how that’s constructive.  Quite the opposite, really.  Now Geraldo has committed the offense of “two wrongs don’t make a right” and transferred Stroker Ace from perpetrator to victim status.

Where does that leave his mindset?

Seriously, it’s one thing if he ended up being quietly arrested for public indecency once he arrived at his destination.  Probably, that’s a reasonable worst-case-scenario for Stroker.  It’s quite another for him to have to dread the now very real potential that he will have to face up to this with his family, his friends and his co-workers.

This type of public shaming in the face of wrongdoing creates the potential that this man doesn’t have to deal with paying for his crime once, but may actually never get away from it.

So to answer my own question, Geraldo’s exploitation of this situation creates a punishment that does not fit the crime.  Really, he’s manufactured a punishment that may never end…thanks, Internet.  I feel for Stroker’s shituation.  I can imagine his sense of hopelessness at the inescapable punishment that a jerk with an iPhone has levied against him.  

Call it vigilante injustice.

I actually worry that this drives Stroker to suicide.  Hopefully, that’s not the case and he can find help to recover from this embarrassing episode…and also his inappropriate masturbatory habits.

Then again, after all this mental conflict, this video was probably a fake, right?  I mean, who does that?!?

Oh well, I needed the mental distraction.