Ass-crack-gazing, Magic-playing rapper creates perfect storm of nerd humor and Internet outrage

For all the popular traction “nerd” culture has gained over the last decade, there’s one last stronghold of the un-showered and socially maladapted: the con. Not the San Diego Comic-Con, which has basically become a Hollywood trade show. These are the regional events in suburban hotel ballrooms where the real dorks hang out. You’ll find them at cons celebrating horror, anime, sci-fi, tabletop gaming, PC gaming, or any other outpost of hardcore nerdery. They don’t go out much. And they are easily spooked.

Reddit user OB1FBM, who apparently is also a rapper, learned this the hard way. Last weekend he attended the Grand Prix Richmond, a Magic: The Gathering tournament in Richmond, Virginia that draws thousands of people. It’s no ESPN2, but the Grand Prix Richmond is one of the biggest events of the year and is probably very exciting if you play Magic, although like any good nerd pastime, its intricacies are pure gibberish to the uninitiated. OB1FBM attended the con as a TO (Tournament Organizer) for a gaming store in Columbus, Ohio, and while he was there, he photographed himself posing next to attendees—all men, all varying degrees of overweight— with a bad case of plumber butt. He then posted those pictures on Reddit as “Grand Prix Richmond Crackstyle.”

All crack puns aside, the post has started a shitstorm on Reddit, with some users praising OB1FBM as a comedy genius and others condemning him as a bully. The praise focuses mostly on his deadpan expression and pointed, prayerful pose (one user photoshopped one of his pics into a rap album cover). The criticism focuses on the obvious violation of privacy that is taking a picture of someone’s butt without permission, with an ensuing, passionate “upskirt v. buttcrack” debate. Opinion is evenly divided: The post has received 108,517 upvotes and 104,305 downvotes in two days.

As for OB1FBM, he’s not apologizing. A larger gentleman himself, he claims to be merely a messenger of the gospel of belts. In his defense, he says, “It's not about being fat. It’s about having your ass exposed to thousands of people and not having the courtesy to pull your shirt down or pull your pants up.”

If you think this guy’s being a jerk, then schadenfreude is yours. Rumblings on Twitter indicate that he’s been banned from competing in Wizards Of The Coast-sanctioned tournaments or hosting Magic-related events for six months. That’s going to seriously delay his plans to open his own card shop. On the other hand, if you feel sorry for him, there’s also a change.org petition you can sign to bring him back into the flock.