Blogospheric oddities: "YouTube Wars" explained

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Those of you who spend time in the political blogosphere may have stumbled upon an odd phenomenon known as the "YouTube Wars". This, like "Friday Cat Blogging", is a blogging phenomenon that can be quite baffling to outsiders. Here's an explanation. The rules of a YouTube war seem to be this: some blog posts a bad music video as a declaration of "war". Another blog responds by posting a music video that they consider to be worse. This escalates until one blog declares itself the winner. Other blogs may or may not agree.

A concise example is the following recent exchange:
  1. Atrios posts an open thread that says "Behave or I relaunch the Youtube wars."
  2. Brad R. at Sadly, No! responds: "This is what we in the blogging business call “totally fucking asking for a beating.”" and posts at Stryper video as an opening salvo.
  3. Atrios retaliates: "Bradrocket's such an amateur." (Adding "rocket" to someone's name also seems to be a uniquely blogospheric form of insult--I think this derives from "Assrocket", a derogatory nickname for right-wing blogger John Hinderaker.) Atrios posts a Yes video and says "He'd better stop before this escalates."
  4. Brad R. replies: "Unfortunately for you, I’ve been stashing this little number away for a long time...Yes, Atrios, that is the Right Brothers’ latest single. It’s a pro-life power ballad called “Mama, I Wanna Live,” and it’s sung from the perspective of a fetus. Say “uncle,” brother. It’s your only hope."
  5. Atrios concedes: "Uncle...Bradrocket had a doomsday device. We are all dead."
  6. Brad R. celebrates: "VICTORY IS OURS!!!! Sadly, No! are the official winners of the (very brief) YouTube War II!!! …and with that, I’m going to go out now. If the YouTube Wars show me anything, it’s how I desperately, desperately need to get a life…"

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