Guinea Pig in Microwave (Magic Trick)
Like 3 Dislike 0 Published on 19 Mar 2007
Results may vary.
Do not try at home.
I have received numerous requests to remove this under the reasoning that there are some psychopaths out there who will see this and try it for fun. I will write this here so everyone can see it - removing this video is not up for discussion. I will at least tell you why:
There has long been a debate over whether violent video-games and movies which glorify horrific scenes of violence actually induce violence thought the perpetuation of violent ideas and thoughts. You are probably already aware of this eternal debate - everyone thinks about it, and at some point debates it with their friends. In spite of some very strong opinions on either side of the debate, it has been proven by experts over numerous studies that violent movies have very little affect on adults (children are another issue, and I will address that). The reason is that the presentation of violent video games and movies provides an outlet that allows a viewer or player to express his anger and violence while observing consequences without ever having to commit the violet offences. Under that premise, violent video games can actually be very helpful; although people are less sensitized to violence, they are also less sensitized to the glorifying mystery behind the violence in that they are certainly more aware of the consequences, even if those consequences are not consciously apparent or recognizable.
Another great example of where this philosophy applies is in whether it is acceptable to teach teenagers of the practice of safe sex (ie, how to avoid having a baby, catching an STD, etc). Critics say that by making teens aware of sex, they are more likely to commit it, however the vast majority of experts agree that the benefits of educating teens about safe and consensual sexual practices far outweighs the cost of hiding the truth. The presentation of volatile information wins over ignorance and censorship.
In the case of this video, I am providing a fun outlet for people to enjoy as a form of suspensive entertainment (whether or you agree with it being fun is not for me to argue with, that is the intention though). If you were an abuser of animals and you never saw this, you are still going to continue your usual routine of abusing animals, perhaps through the random impulse to stick your pet in the microwave oven and see what happens. By seeing this though I would hope that you (as an abuser or psychopath) would gather that this video depicts a non-violent activity that was done by an owner who loves his pets. The mental association between pet and microwave is not abusive in nature, but silly and comedic. When the scene of suspense (or consequence) is over you gain an appreciation for what has been done. And in a best case, hopefully any future impulses to euthanize a pet using a microwave would result in the diffusing satisfaction in remembering this video and the consequence of the 15 seconds of suspense (and the volatile information wins again). The theory behind this is in no way different from teaching teenagers safe sexual practices, which has, as I said, been praised by many credible experts.
I mentioned that I would address children. I agree that this will give some children dirty ideas, but not most children. Small children might actually believe this is real! But as a rule, I'd say that if a child is smart enough (or old enough) to be surfing the net and checking out videos on youtube unsupervised, they are smart enough to know that a microwave oven is actually a cooking device. If a child is so damaged that they act on every impulse to hurt their pet, then I am afraid that whether this video is uploaded or not, that child's poor animal will still be abused. The theory about openness and non-censorship still applies however, and under those ideas the information presented in this video will always, as a rule, do more good than bad.
To summarize, I strongly believe that this video will not influence any violence towards animals by anyone. Non-censorship can actually defuse sudden impulses by abusers or broken children by providing them with a feeling of consequence associated with the depicted action. That is all I have to say on this issue.