People trust the police with their lives, so they expect that officers tackle their duties in a serious matter. This, however, means that if someone with a badge was to try pulling off a prank, it could go a long way. And it did. It all started with a Facebook post by the Allen County (KS) Sheriff’s Department, and ended with quite a few confused and pissed folks.
“We will be blocking all Allen County access to Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube between February 28 and March 1,” it read. Many people missed both the fact that it was impossible for the sheriff to block access to social media applications, and the non-existent timeframe (February 29th), as this year February has only 28 days.
Countless angry responses flooded Allen County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook. “We would say that 99% or more of the comments have come from outside our jurisdiction,” the authorities noted. “And probably 80% from outside of Kansas,” they said. As of this article, their post has over 2,000 comments, 3,000 reactions and 8,000 shares.
After some time, however, Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy decided to reveal the truth. “Our post today, Monday, January 29, 2018, about ‘shutting off social media’ was another successful demonstration of the power of social media,” a new post explained. “We want to remind everyone, read everything you see on the internet closely. Check the facts. Not everything is true no matter how good it may look. For those who fell really (and we mean REALLY) hard for this, we would ask that you reflect on the role social media plays in your life.”
More info: Facebook
Allen County Sheriff’s Department have decided to prank their community
It all started with a Facebook post and ended with quite a few confused and pissed folks
People couldn’t believe it was going to happen
Some tried to find out how the ‘changes’ will their lives
Others were simply outraged
A few were even looking for ways to counter the ban
But only a handful of people understood the joke
What were the clues? First of all, the non-existent timeframe (February 29th), as this year February has only 28 days
“We want to remind everyone, read everything you see on the internet closely. Check the facts. Not everything is true no matter how good it may look”
I can't believe that people didn't see what they did there :D
Nicely done cops! But seriously, how do people buy into this stuff?
It is a lack of critical thinking skills. A general attitude of "It is in writing so it must be true" pervades society. Few actually stop to think about or research what they read. In fact, how do you know that this very post is true?
I'd be more concerned about the fact that the mother **home-schooling** her boys doesn't know the difference between "there" and "their"...
That was absolutely my first thought, too!
And twice too!
Same!
I can't believe that people didn't see what they did there :D
Nicely done cops! But seriously, how do people buy into this stuff?
It is a lack of critical thinking skills. A general attitude of "It is in writing so it must be true" pervades society. Few actually stop to think about or research what they read. In fact, how do you know that this very post is true?
I'd be more concerned about the fact that the mother **home-schooling** her boys doesn't know the difference between "there" and "their"...
That was absolutely my first thought, too!
And twice too!
Same!