'Prankster' spills a vat of milky cereal on essential workers riding the subway

A TikTok user who goes by @fckjoshy is facing intense backlash after one of his "pranks" went viral. In the video, he spills a vat of milky cereal all over the subway floor to see if anyone will help him pick it up. After scooping up some gross handfuls of cereal, he picks up his tub and walks off the train, leaving the milky mess for someone else to clean up. 

This prank wouldn't be funny on a normal day; it's disruptive and he definitely splashed milk on innocent bystanders in the process. But we're in the middle of a pandemic, and the only people on the train and there to help clean are essential workers risking their lives. His thoughtlessness is record-breaking. Take a look at the video.

His voice makes me cringe so hard. "I was like, 'Can someone help?' Surprisingly, no one offered." No, dude. You didn't drop a wallet or a bunch of papers. You spilled a gallon of milk on the subway floor. During a global pandemic.  

In a follow-up tweet, @saltyarab, the person who made the video go viral on Twitter, wrote, "Like, I know damn well he didn't clean it up. People on the subway already don't want to be there like what was the purpose. This s--t don't even make u crack a smile." 

Many pointed out that playing a prank on an essential worker, especially when you're a white dude who clearly doesn't have to be there, is wildly disrespectful. He doesn't seem to grasp the idea that our world is different now.  

If he did this last year, this prank would be regular-annoying and we'd all roll our eyes at the disrespectful kid. But to do it now? When the only people riding the subway and working for the MTA are literally risking their lives every single day? It's unconscionable. Beyond disrespectful. Way beyond. 

In case it's not clear, comedian Laurie Kilmartin is being extremely sarcastic here. He's just the worst. Essential workers are a group disproportionately made up of people of color. For a white dude to walk onto a subway with the express purpose of making a bunch of people's lives harder during this time denotes a kind of insensitivity most of us couldn't even imagine. 

Many on Twitter called for him to be arrested or fined by the MTA for his actions. That's the least he should suffer for creating such a mess. It's unclear whether that will happen or whether he will ever learn his lesson.  

"A new low," the MTA wrote on Twitter. "Pulling a prank on essential workers in the middle of a global pandemic. And making essential workers clean up your mess. Despicable."

His other videos are similarly gross and seem to point to a complete lack of common sense, empathy, and compassion. In another, he cuts a hole in a mask so his mouth is entirely exposed and then walks up to essential workers to gauge their reactions. Risking other people's lives for internet clout truly is something.  

While most of us are agonizing about the moral complications of supporting local businesses by ordering goods to be delivered, which is good on one hand but on the other hand puts delivery workers and other essential employees at risk, this guy is out there shamelessly spilling milk all over essential workers. 

In conclusion, this guy sucks. A lot. And probably the best way we can make him go away forever is to stop talking about him. So that's exactly what we're going to do.