Public Freakout Videos

About

Public Freakout Videos are recorded footage of private individuals exhibiting extremely emotional or bizarre behavior in public, typically featuring loud arguments, mental breakdowns, vitriolic rants or intoxicated rambling.

Origin

One of the earliest public freakout videos was posted to YouTube on June 2nd, 2008, which featured what appears to be security camera footage of a man destroying several cubicles in an office (shown below). The video was later revealed to be a marketing hoax designed to promote the then-upcoming 2008 action thriller film Wanted.

Spread

On November 6th, 2011, YouTuber Lazy TV uploaded a video clip of a child throwing a tantrum at a Toys R Us retail store after his mother refuses to purchase Pokemon cards (shown below). Within four years, the video garnered upwards of 860,000 views and 3,000 comments.

On October 12th, 2013, the /r/PublicFreakout^[1] subreddit was launched to share footage of “people freaking out, melting down, losing their cool or being weird in public.” In the first year, the subreddit gained over 56,700 subscribers. On May 24th, 2014, YouTuber Ben Videography uploaded a video titled “Public Freakout Compilation,” featuring clips from more than 30 different freakout videos (shown below, left). On July 27th, the /r/skateparkfreakout^[2] subreddit was created for videos featuring people angrily confronting skateboarders in public. On August 6th, the tech news site Motherboard^[3] published an article titled “The Internet is Losing its Shit Over Moms Losing Their Shit at Skate Parks,” which referenced the two subreddits. On September 8th, YouTuber Ben Videography uploaded a second public freakout compilation (shown below, right).

Notable Examples

Jason Russell’s Breakdown

Jason Russell’s Breakdown refers to video footage of co-founder of the nonprofit organization Invisible Children Inc. and the KONY 2012 movement Jason Russell ranting while naked on a sidewalk in San Diego, California (shown below).

Epic Why Guy

Following the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit, a man was filmed yelling outside of a shopping center demanding to be told why it was closed. After noticing he was being filmed, he confronted the cameraman and asked not to be filmed.

Crazy Rhubarb Lady

Crazy Rhubarb Lady is the nickname given to a woman who rose to viral fame for her hostile, foul-mouthed rant after being confronted about stealing a neighbor’s rhubarb in a town in Iowa. A recording of the confrontation began circulating on the Internet after it was uploaded to YouTube in July of 2013.

Transit Fight Videos

Transit Fight Videos are amateur footage of altercation or arguments that take place while on public transportation. These videos are usually disseminated through video-sharing sites like LiveLeak and World Star Hip Hop, where the guidelines for content submissions tend to be less strictly enforced than that of YouTube.

Dunkin’ Donuts Customer Rant

Dunkin’ Donuts Customer Rant refers to a YouTube video uploaded in June 2013, featuring an enraged woman complaining about not receiving a receipt and directing various insults and racial epithets toward the coffeehouse chain staff.

Cheektowaga Mom’s Racist Rant

Cheektowaga Mom’s Racist Rant refers to a YouTube video uploaded in June 2014 of an enraged woman yelling racial slurs at a man in the parking lot outside of a dollar store after he allegedly scared her children by starting his car (shown below).

Search Interest

External References