Why are funny pet videos so popular? It is no secret that some of the most popular videos on youtube are just simple, home recordings of pets doing strange things. Although the big contenders are dogs and cats, there are some birds, lizards, and other assorted animals making the rounds as well. The other day, me and my friend were looking for non traditional pets and we found funny pet videos of lynxes, bats, and skunks.
Perhaps one reason people like funny pet videos so much is that they represent a type of simplistic joy and humor. Pets often have a variety of innocence that we shed in our childhood, and it is funny to watch them get excited over paper bags, become scared by lights, et cetera. Many of the videos also highlight strangely human characteristics, like dogs who seem like they can talk, and cats with very expressive faces, like Grumpy Cat.
Pet videos can also highlight the type of unadulterated love that is often difficult to capture on film for people. Cats cuddling with dogs, dogs befriending deer, deer acting as a mother to a group of abandoned ducklings, et cetera. Perhaps it makes us hopeful to realize that even nonhuman life forms can have a fondness for each other that goes beyond the basic instincts of survival, but seem to replicate the human experience of friendship, love, and caring.
Whether or not you like funny pet videos, you have to admit that they occupy a unique place in culture, and something almost everyone can understand when we reference it. People might not know the latest news or changes in government, but they will know about the video of the sneezing panda cub, or the clip of the talking bird that seems to have a mind of its own.
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