'I'm not a cat': a US lawyer became a social media star due to a filter in Zoom
'10.02.2021'
Source: Newspaper.ru
A US attorney named Rod Ponton accidentally activated the feline filter during a trial in the Zoom app and was unable to figure out how to turn it off. His words "I am here, I am not a cat" have already become a meme and scattered across social networks. However, he is not the first person whose video conference went wrong at some point, says Newspaper.ru.
A video from a Zoom hearing of a Texas court went viral on social media after a lawyer who took part in it accidentally turned on a cat mask..
In the video, which instantly spread across the Internet, you can see how one of the conference participants, a lawyer named Rod Ponton, replaced his image with a "cat" filter that monitors the movement of the eyes and lips, trying to mimic the speaker's facial expressions.
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“Mr. Ponton, it seems you have a filter turned on in your settings,” says Judge Roy Ferguson.
“I don’t know how to turn it off. My assistant is here, she's trying to turn it off, ”Ponton replies with annoyance, and then suggests not delaying the meeting and continuing with a mask.
"I'm here. I'm not a cat, ”adds the lawyer.
Rod Ponton does not use social media and did not even suspect that he became an international meme. He told reporters that the filter was subsequently turned off.
“My old and less funny face appeared, and we continued the hearing,” the lawyer said.
Although Ponton admitted that he was “terrified” when the incident happened, he has no regrets about what happened.
“I am glad that I was able to make the country laugh in these difficult times,” said the hero of social networks.
This funny situation became a real hit on social media. The user with the nickname @djomlor appreciated the funny video as follows: “I am already 59 years old, and I can confidently say that the phrase“ I am here. I'm not a cat ”is the best short joke ever written. Dot".
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The coronavirus pandemic has forced many officials to hold meetings and conferences via Zoom and other video calling applications. At the same time, the participants in these conferences, as a rule, were at home, which is why they often found themselves in situations similar to the case of Rod Ponton.
So, in July 2020, a member British Parliament John Nicholson was reading a report at a meeting of the Committee on Digital Technology, Culture, Media and Sports, when his cat, more precisely, the fluffy tail of a pet, suddenly entered the frame.
"I apologize for my cat's tail," Nicholson said, not distracted from his speech.
“Rocco, lower your tail,” the parliamentarian added, addressing the cat, thus creating a new Internet meme.
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Another funny incident happened long before COVID-19. In 2017, Professor Robert Kelly was commenting on the situation in South Korea for the BBC TV channel via video link, when suddenly his daughter entered the room, and then his little son.
After that, Kelly's wife burst into the frame, who quickly dragged the children away, which caused a smile both from the speaker himself and from the news anchor.
Judging by the "likes" and comments, YouTube users also could not contain their emotions while watching this video. The number of views of the original video at the time of this writing exceeds 42 million.
In March 2020, when the first wave of coronavirus began in the world, Robert Kelly reappeared on the BBC to talk about how he is coping with self-isolation.
“It’s very hard to stay at home for so long,” said Kelly, this time in camera with his entire family.
