youtube is a fascinating medium. i think it exposes alot of the self delusions people feel. these people are lost, and attempting to orient themselves in the world via comparison to established media
for example, go on youtube and type "100lb dumbell curl"
from this you get a guy who is trying to prove he is better than stephen king by cheat curling a dumbell
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RZaq_3NUsdA
the next guy is an even more interesting read...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2mAcvtI5hKI
villarreal, esq. completely believes that he is the strongest dude around, and a super genius. he has a website and is very aggressive in promoting himself. like the stephen king reader, villarreal attempts to place himself in comparison with fictional characters. the absurdity of his delusions led the new york times to quote him--
Take it from John D. Villarreal, Esq., who posted his video response to the “Sopranos” finale right after it ended. You have to see this. It’s a steroidally euphoric two-fists-up review.
http://themedium.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/my-car-is-better-than-aj-sopranos/
these videos are a desperate attempt to establish identity within a fictional universe. villarreal and fatbookdork feel very alienated from reality, and probable find in-person human interaction painful and awkward.
though it is unfortunate that people such as these two can come to represent us as weightlifters, i do think that their self expression is therapeutic. without youtube, they would simply be thinking these things. the public forum is at least a step outside of their heads. this may eventually allow them to calibrate a healthier and less alienating self image. i actually have more hope for fatbookdork; in a few years he will log on and be horrified at what he has posted. the aversion he feels towards his recorded self will be a first step towards personal realization-- or he may finally get laid, which will abruptly end the nonsense.
since villarreal has already experienced material success, his awakening will be much harder to come by. he will most likely further perpetuate his aura of grandeur by running for political office.
as for me, i must stop procrastinating on my college term paper instead of writing long, overly academic posts. in the end, we are all crazy.