"Pizza Rat" (Photo : YouTube)
Today's trending videos often include shocking behavior by celebrities and other public figures, whether it is a statement, argument, action, Instagram photo, or even fashion statement; or outrageous actions by non-famous people who have Android or iPhone mobile devices. Other viral videos feature funny animals ranging from cats to dogs, and from sharks to llamas. A recent hot video is "Pizza Rat."
The video features a rat carrying a slice of pizza down a stairs of a New York City's (NYC) subway platform. During the clip the videographer whispers "live your best life" to the rodent.
Media outlets such as USA Today and Mashable have had different takes on the clip. These have ranged from literal to inspirational.
For example, humans often forget how easy it is to use their hand equipped with an opposable thumb, to lift a slice of pizza, according to Mashable. In comparison, Pizza Rat struggles to take home the pizza slice to its family living in the NYC subway station. Mashable calls the little animal a "dreamer" and "hero."
However, some people have criticized the cultural environment in which such videos go viral. One argument is that the words "pizza" and "rat" should not be juxtaposed due to them being two opposite types of objects, according to Entertainment Weekly (EW).
It pointed out that rats are small, abundant, and violent. Meanwhile, pizza is warm, chewy, and available with many toppings.
EW also argued that the video does not prove that overcoming obstacles helps people to get things. In other words,the rat did not get the pizza.
A 2014 study showed that the human-to-rat ratio in NYC is 4 to 1, or about 8 million people to 2 million rodents. The brown/Norway species is the most common.
