Kevin James, the comedian, and of course the “King of Queens” has always played the every-man. James has played the average joe very well. Even when he played the President of the United States in the movie, Pixels he was still that average likable guy.
Kevin James has his own YouTube channel- simply called Kevin James. The channel has some well made short films highlighting James’s comedy, and of course his common man persona.
One of his favorite characters to play on his channel is just a sound guy. James plays a sound guy in Hollywood on the set of a movie with clips of a famous movie spliced in; his reactions to them are hilarious. Kevin James’s YouTube channel trailer promises to have these short films once a week.
Topical humor has always been a popular genre within comedy; and James’s YouTube channel has a couple of new videos that speak to our current situation in relation to the coronavirus. The videos are very funny, but also highlights what could be our future in relation to social distancing.
The first video is called “A Quarantine Birthday.” At first glance, the title of the video, and the featured picture don’t seem to relate to one another. The thumbnail shows an ecstatic Kevin James having fun at a party; parties normally have many guests; it’s not a good place for social distancing. So the viewer has to wonder that there must be more to expect within the video.
In the beginning of the video Kevin James is in a car driving at night, looking tired, and probably winding down after a long day. The night doesn’t seem to get better when he is forced to pull over due to an overheated engine, and to top it off he drops his keys while going down the stairs to his home.
However, when James opens the door to his home he gets a welcome surprise- a birthday surprise party. People come up and hug him, place a party hat on top of his head, and classic rock music plays in the background.
James is happy, excited, ready to party, and to dance the night away. He blows out the candles on a giant birthday cake ; but then the scene transitions to reality. He’s wearing a virtual reality mask, and blowing out a candle on a cupcake.
The look on his face says it all as he bites into the cupcake. It just is not the same; he is alone in an empty and quiet room. So there is only one more thing he can do to find joy and closeness again; he puts on the virtual reality visor, and rejoins the party.
So many of us can relate to this situation in dealing with this coronavirus lockdown. Some people may have someone at home to communicate with, while others are completely alone. Offices are nearly empty while many people are now working at home. We are isolated from each other.
When we do make the effort to venture outside, because of social distancing people may turn away from other people and barely acknowledge each other. We have come to fear one another.
Humans are social animals, and it is well known that being very social in person can lead to great health benefits for that person. The video, “Quarantine Party” is very interesting in that it speaks to our current experience very well.
In order to get some social contact with people so many of us turn to the digital world in order to get a piece of that same in person contact as we once had. But just as when James takes a moment to turn away from the digital world he sees how lonely and quiet it is; it’s as if in that moment the audience can feel the silence within the room.
Fear is a strong emotion, and we have to think- is this our future? Just like Kevin James in the video we may have little alternative but to retreat into a digital world for that same feeling of human interaction.
The second video is called “Out of Touch.” The featured image can tell many stories; the thumbnail presents Kevin James with a worried look on his face. It draws the viewer in to find out why.
The video begins with James and another man running for their lives; with dogs barking at them and sirens blaring. The intensity on their faces reveals that this is very serious; and there may be no escape from the danger at hand.
At that moment we may think to ourselves, what is the incident that got them into this mess in the first place? In the next scene, it is nighttime, and the two hide behind a tree. The other guy makes a run for it, and James tries to stop him, but you hear the dogs and the authorities near him. Unfortunately for James he was found; helicopters were blaring their lights on him, and he was caught as well.
The scene then flashes back to six hours earlier where we the viewer get a clearer picture of what started all of this. It’s something that anyone can relate to; it’s called normalcy.
A man is jogging in the park while another man is sitting idly on a park bench, and the two are just enjoying the day. They know each other; and as it is in any normal situation when seeing a familiar face they greet each other with a hand shake.
Then one man with a mask looks at them, and calls the police while two women take pictures judging and snitching on them. All James can say to the man is, “Run.”
There has been a common slang term for such modern day snitches as shown in the video; it is “Karen.” A basic definition of the slang term, Karen has been to describe an entitled white middle aged woman with a short haircut who likes to complain a lot.
However, the term has grown to mean a man or woman constantly judging, and taking action against those they see as beneath them. Acting like a Karen gives the person a sense of virtue over others; and they feel as if they need to put that person in their place.
Just as in the video, there have been many “Karens” that people had to deal with during this coronavirus lockdown. People have been informed on to the Police for not wearing a mask, not social distancing, conducting business when there are State Executive orders to close the business down, and even taking a walk outside.
One lines that stands out is when James says, “This is our life now.” Is all this our life now? It’s weird; many people want it to be. Especially Karens.
Featured Image is screenshot from Kevin James, "Out of Touch." Link is in post.
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