Virtual Boy Fail

[Breetai]

I'm totally with you, Ivo.

[Luke]

Yeah I'm not sure you guys know the correct definition of "sadistic". But whatever.

Funny stuff Nathan, and I fully support the knocking over of Old Navy mannequins.

[Xonticus]

Great video, I cringed at some of the scenes like in the Goodwill at the end, and the toilets.

I hope you didn't get too banged up when falling down those stairs, though!

[Ivo]

Yeah I'm not sure you guys know the correct definition of "sadistic". But whatever.

Funny stuff Nathan, and I fully support the knocking over of Old Navy mannequins.

It's not such a big generalisation from the stricter definition which mentions only "pain" to the use I was making of it which was considering "harm" instead of just pain specifically.
If you push someone into water, in principle you are not inflicting pain but you are probably inflicting harm (if you wreck the person's smartphone by doing so in particular). Therefore, if you enjoy pushing random bystanders into water (or watching them be pushed), or if you enjoy wrecking someone's property (or watch it being wrecked) I would certainly think you have a sadistic streak.

What is your own definition (that you are probably assuming to be the "correct" one)?

Ivo.

[Luke]

This is just semantics, not worth an argument, but being sadistic is taking pleasure from another person's pain during a sexual act. That, or taking extreme pleasure in someone's pain. Nathan doesn't really inflect pain on anyone in his videos, and doesn't cause much harm other than a casual awkwardness. But let's just leave it that and not ruin this thread.

But yes, Nathan did step on a maybe two pansies before going into a fountain.

[o.pwuaioc]

...It is when innocent bystanders get affected that I think it sucks and can not laugh at it.

I'm right there with you on that. Movies/etc... where the joke is that people are hurt isn't funny to me. Thus I never cared for e.g. Meet the Parents/Meet the Fockers. Everything wrong with society.

[brunoafh]

being sadistic is taking pleasure from another person's pain during a sexual act.

Yes.

I have no idea how some guy wearing a virtual boy and knocking over department store displays could ever be regarded as "sadistic", ever.

[Breetai]

I have no idea how some guy wearing a virtual boy and knocking over department store displays could ever be regarded as "sadistic", ever.

I don't think it's sadistic at all. It's just a guy having fun, and, in my opinion, just going a bit too far with it. That's all. I DO find Nathan incredibly funny, entertaining and talented. I'm just not about anyone wrecking stuff at random.

[Ivo]

This is just semantics, not worth an argument, but being sadistic is taking pleasure from another person's pain during a sexual act. That, or taking extreme pleasure in someone's pain. Nathan doesn't really inflect pain on anyone in his videos, and doesn't cause much harm other than a casual awkwardness. But let's just leave it that and not ruin this thread.

Of course it is semantics, we are discussing definition of the word because my use of it was a bit outside the more common usages of the term.
While the definition I was using when writing was a slight generalisation, your definition as stated above is at least a slight de-generalisation. Sadism does not need to be related to sexual acts (which you note), and it also does not need to enable "extreme" pleasure.

I would like to point out that Nathan likely has inflicted pain on someone in a video at least once - he threw something (I think it was a coconut) at a dude's head once (the video was in a supermarket, I think it was a video about Donkey Kong). I think that particular stunt was staged with someone he knew (I hope so).

Also I would not be surprised that people may use the expression "financially painful" when damage costs them something or "pain in the (...)" when they need to work more to re-arrange something that got messed up, both of which can be results of some of the relatively harmless, non-physically painful stunts by Nathan. I think my use of "sadism" in the slightly generalised way I explained was and is justified.

When I see e.g. Nathan running into department stores displays, I inevitably think of the person that needs to clean up after. I can not find it funny, and I have trouble understanding why others find it funny. I would just rather he focus on other kind of stuff that won't give anyone extra work, extra trouble or extra costs. Some inconveniencing of others I can find funny and I guess it is hard for most of him stunts to be 100% "harmless", but I don't think it is hard to have them be "mostly harmless".

If I see someone on the street running into a lamppost by accident, I also do not find it funny. I'm aware that other (most?) people find that funny and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with finding it funny, but I do label people finding it funny as slightly sadistic.

I'm glad to leave it at that myself, we can continue in PM if desired.

Ivo.

[YoshiEgg25]

When I see e.g. Nathan running into department stores displays, I inevitably think of the person that needs to clean up after. I can not find it funny, and I have trouble understanding why others find it funny.

Uh...he CLEARLY stated that he cleaned everything up...