If you’ve ever watch a viral video on one of your favorite sites on the internet, it most likely was lifted from r/videos.
Reddit’s main video forum is one of the best incubators on the internet for virality, and editors for many of the web’s largest publications check it religiously for the next big thing.
It is, in fact, where your author first spotted the United Airlines dragging video that galvanized the web this week. (A related submission about the incident, with 111,ooo upvotes, is now the fourth-most upvoted video on the forum’s history.)
On Tuesday morning, the subreddit dedicated its massive influence to bashing the airline for its actions.
Almost ever single story on the site was a link to videos of United’s misdeeds over the past few years, or spoofs about the incident, with astronomical numbers of upvotes.
Pretty much, outside of a review of a pocket pussy (which, understandable), everything is anti-United Airlines on the largest video forum on the internet.
A good number of the videos take the misdirection style that is popular among Reddit’s fake history enthusiasts, purporting to show one factual incident, then putting in a scene from pop culture instead that still fits perfectly.
Take for instance: “United Airlines attempting to calm panicking passenger mid-flight.”
Or, perhaps: “Male Nurse forcefully removed from plane after refusing to check carry-on.”
And, very aptly: “Doctor is questioned and criticized by United flight attendant for relaxing and having a drink.”
That said, a lot of the videos link to serious grievances about the airline.
That last one is a news report about United almost killing a greyhound dog by leaving it out in extreme heat. Another awful story described United mistreating a girl with autism, who was also forcibly removed by police.
The movement has since simmered down, as other videos have risen over the course of the day, but for one brief shining moment, an entire subreddit was united in trolling.
Moderators for r/videos did not respond to requests for comment.