As ‘human toes agent’ appears in court, here are 3 issues to think about

A man who went viral for saying he was an agent in a human toes for money scheme has appeared in court.

David Kaseke has been charged with criminal nuisance after he claimed people could be compensated as much as USD75,000 for their toes, depending on their sizes.

Now, first, Kaseke who is a ‘Ximex Mall’ dealer first told the media that he was an agent for toes. When it got serious he recanted his statement saying he recorded the first video on the whole toes for money scheme when he was drunk. He also said he didn’t take the media seriously when he was interviewed.

He was granted ZWL10,000 bail according to Hmetro.

Here are three things we glean from this

A silly people

In Lawrence of Arabia, TE Lawrence called labeled the Arabs ‘a silly people’ because of the in-fighting and many other things. To those we can add that something as silly as ‘toes for sale’ was taken so seriously by people that it made the news on the national broadcaster. Silly stories like these do not get that kind of oxygen outside the fringe press and other places lacking seriousness. This became so mainstream, it has resulted in a court case. People can argue and say it shows the desperation of people in the economy, but the silliness cannot be excused. And it getting flighted all over was just ridiculous.

The lack of education about the media

Because the media has often found itself as the butt of jokes and ostracised by many, Kaseke’s lack of seriousness when being interviewed is interesting. It shows his lack of understanding that there is a difference a moment on a satire platform like Bustop TV and hard news. That those lines have been blurred speaks to wider issues. The media has been lumped with all sorts of content and the lack of education about the Internet means some cannot tell the difference. Yep, digital literacy.

Free speech questions

The idea that a joke can take this life of its own is crazy. Anyone who is worth their salt will have seen this as one. That one is being prosecuted for a joke opens a door. Granted, Kaseke was silly to push his five seconds of fame by speaking to the media claiming to be a ‘toe-seller’. The question though will be, if a joke goes viral and people think its content is real and to be followed, will the person who created it be held liable for other people’s beliefs. Where harm is clearly intended is one thing, but questions have to be asked about implications going forward.