Back in March of this year, YouTube prankster Magic of Rahat released a YouTube video in which he donates to a lottery ticket to a homeless man named Eric.
Back in March of this year, YouTube prankster Magic of Rahat released a YouTube video in which he donates to a lottery ticket to a homeless man named Eric. The pair then go to the shop to see what the winnings are.
Little does Eric know that the shopkeeper is in on it, and has been given $1,000 by Magic of Rahat to give to Eric as lottery winnings. If you haven’t seen this video, it is definitely worth a watch.
Internet sensation
Crucially, having won the money, Eric turns to Magic of Rahat and offers to share the money, and the whole world did a little sob. I warn you not to watch this unless totally emotionally stable. If you are on the brink of an exam-related meltdown you will be a total mess after this.
Also, be careful not to watch this just before a night out – donating the end of a packet of Extra and a jäegerbomb to the nearest busker you find on the street is not the same thing. Nice thought though.
Since Eric became an internet sensation and all round king-of-loveliness, Magic of Rahat started a donation fund for him, as a response to a constant stream of emails from people so touched by Eric’s selflessness that they wanted to donate.
The fund raised an impressive $44,000 and with it, Magic of Rahat has secured Eric a home, furnished it and used the remaining money to set him up a savings account. And again, the world did another little sob.
I can’t get over quite how lovely this is to watch. I know there will be people who come up with ethical issues or negative comments but quite frankly this is not the time, and in the name of Eric, please can all those people just do one. The pure joy of seeing another person so happy, cannot be ruined by the worlds mardy-bums, not this time.
In fact this video has made me feel so positive I’m even starting to think that Gary Barlow has done a similar thing with all the money he’s not been giving to HMRC… although, perhaps not – #BarlowGate.
Comments
Comments-wise, another week of intelligent and perceptive observation from the YouTube community…
Top comment of the week being, “I’m a thug and I cried.” Well there you go then, the thug life does come with a tear or two. One commenter seems to think that not only is the word “groovy” coming back, but also that it’s the appropriate description of what’s just happened here, which is difficult for me to get my head around, but still at least he’s being nice?
Possibly the strangest comment was the commenter who claimed that those who disliked the video are just “jealous” because “they don’t have a home.”
Hmm, I think we might be taking a step back with that one.
So, drag yourself out of revision-tracksuit hell and enjoy! But don’t forget to return to revision eventually, otherwise you’ll end up like pre-house Eric.
Did you find this week’s viral video touching too? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo: Ivva / Flickr
