V is for Viral, Vicious and Vile

Though many pop culture phenomenon's caught my eye this week, I'd like to focus on something that's a bit more serious.

 A trans-gender woman was attacked in a McDonald's restaurant in Baltimore last week by two women and suffered severe injuries. The attack was filmed by a McDonald's employee and then posted to the internet, where it quickly became viral.

The employee who filmed the attack was encouraging the attack and made no effort to contain the two women who were assaulting the victim, a woman named Crissy Lee Polis. The other employees, who can be seen in the video, also made little to no effort to stop the assault.

According to a filmed statement released by Polis, the women began their assault after Polis left the woman's restroom in the restaurant. They began to hit, spit and kick at her despite her several attempts to shove them off and leave.

At one point in the video, the two women attempt to drag Polis out of the restaurant by her hair. Polis is then seen going into a seizure near the entrance of the McDonald's, where finally the two suspects leave.

According to speculation on the internet, the employee filming the attack decided to load the video onto YouTube in an attempt to gain internet fame.

The video quickly became viral, and instead of serving as a form of entertainment, it launched a pretty big activism effort on the behalf of Polis as well as the trans-gender population of America.

Does this video serve as pop culture? Can pop culture act as activism?

Filming events/actions via cellphone and then loading these videos to popular sites like YouTube has become a pop culture phenomenon of our generation. There have been a few notable times when an attack has been filmed and it has spurred activism.

The internet is buzzing with feedback and responses to the brutal assault of Polis. Blogs and news websites are alive with updates and follow ups of Polis' story as well as the fate of the McDonald's employees.

The victim herself released a video statement, that has become viral on YouTube, about the attack she experienced.

All these things would make this event a part of pop culture news. It utilizes pop culture tools, it is viral on the internet and, for a change, it has encouraged and engaged activism instead of entertainment.