Things can get pretty freaky when people are in bed. Everyone has their own preferences, and that’s fine. What becomes a problem is when those preferences start getting announced, performed, and paraded out in public. Something along those lines appears to have unfolded in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where a nighttime stroll turned into something out of a bizarre performance piece. The cameraman who happened to be nearby said he was minding his own business when he spotted a couple acting in a way that made him stop in his tracks. While most couples out for the evening hold hands or share a kiss here and there, this pair decided to show their affection in a far more vivid fashion. The man was on his hands and knees with a leash clipped around his neck, crawling slowly across the pavement. Adding to the strangeness, the other end of the leash was attached to a rope held by his partner, who guided him along as casually as if he were walking a dog.
The sight was bizarre enough that the cameraman pulled out his phone immediately, and it did not take long for other passersby to pause as well. People stared, confused, amused, or mildly horrified, unable to fully process what they were witnessing. The Grand Rapids couple, however, seemed blissfully unaware of the attention they were drawing. The man on a leash continued crawling, his bright yellow pants practically glowing under the streetlights, while the woman held the rope and kept walking at an even pace. A shopper pushing a cart rolled by and pretended not to see a thing, which might be the most American reaction possible.
As unusual as it looked, the couple was not harming anyone. Still, that did not stop the internet from chiming in once the video started circulating. Many viewers criticized the pair for what they called a total lack of manners and a wildly unnecessary display. One person commented, “That’s it, I’m kinkshaming,” summing up the mood for a good chunk of the audience. Others joked that their eyes needed to recover from what they had seen and argued that, while the couple obviously consented to whatever dynamic they were acting out, the rest of the public definitely did not.
A different conversation broke out over the man’s knees. People noted that babies can crawl comfortably because they do not have fully developed kneecaps, but adults do, and crawling on pavement is about as painful as it sounds. “My knees are mad at me just for watching this video,” one user wrote.
Some commenters wondered what exactly prompted the couple to head out in public like this. Were they trying to make a statement about their relationship, show off for the camera, or ignore the fact that not everyone wants to witness someone being walked like a pet on a city sidewalk? The internet, as always, had plenty of questions and not nearly enough answers.
